Parallel Lives
by Red Witch
Summary: Part 2 of the Ronin Toad series! An X-Men Evo/GI Joe crossover. What happened after Magneto kicked Toad out of the Brotherhood? A little bit of everything! R&R the Completed Fic!
1. Farewell My Brother

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Hey! Welcome to my 200th Evo-fic! Yay! I don't own any X-Men Evolution characters or GI Joe characters as well. Here it is: the second part of the "Ronin Toad" series. This takes place along the same timeline as Ronin Toad, only it's from the perspectives of both the Brotherhood and the X-Men! This fic will have a little bit of everything, although it's going to start out with angst in the beginning. 

Okay here are the notes: It's some time in the near future after 'Day of Reckoning'. Everyone has been rescued. The mansion has just been rebuilt. So has the Brotherhood House, somewhat. Magneto has gotten back in control of all the Brotherhood including the 'new' members, Wanda, Gambit, Colossus and all. Colossus is called Peter in this fic because it's easier. (Hey they changed Avalanche's and Toad's names in Evo-verse!) Rogue still has no idea who Risty really is. Kelly is still principal…(He He! I am gonna love this!) The world is just starting to figure out mutants are out there. Thanks to a combination of human stupidity, dumb luck, and really, really bad camera work the identities of the X-Men are still safe so they still walk around the hallways of Bayville High. But maybe not as safe as they think….

**Parallel Lives**

Chapter 1: Farewell My Brother. 

"NOOOOO! DON'T LEAVE MEEEEEE!" 

The Brotherhood watched in horror as Magneto tossed Todd's helpless, battered body out of the jet. Lance, Pietro, and Fred were shocked. They stood there silently for a few moments, unable to comprehend what just happened. _It's lucky Wanda wasn't on this mission,_ Pietro thought to himself. _She'd hate him even more…_

"Why?" Pietro shouted. "Why? He was loyal!"

"He was weak," Magneto said simply. 

"He tried hard!" Pietro told him. "There's still time. Maybe you can…"

"Silence!" Magneto snapped backhanding the boy. 

Pietro glared at him, willing the tears not to flow from his eyes. "He would have done anything for you," He said simply.

"Then he should be content to die," Magneto said. "Toad was weak. He was hurting the effectiveness of this team. A decision had to be made. For the good of the team."

"You didn't have to…" Pietro choked on his words. 

"Yes I did!" Magneto glowered. "As I said an example had to be made. Failure will no longer be tolerated! We are at a critical time in history. If we fail **all** mutants will be enslaved or exterminated! I will not allow that. If I have to eliminate any obstacles to our cause be they human or mutant so be it!"

"But…" Pietro started to ask only to be hit again by Magneto. This time the blow sent him sprawling to the floor. 

"NEVER QUESTION MY ORDERS!" Magneto shouted at him. "Your only concern is to follow my orders with complete obedience and carry them out. Understand? Or shall I let Mystique drill that lesson into your head as well." 

Pietro looked at her and the whip she was carrying. "N-no sir," He said softly, turning his head away in submission. "I-I was wrong. Forgive me." 

"This time," Magneto said. "That goes for the rest of you," He informed the remaining Brotherhood. No one argued with him. Lance helped Pietro up. They rode the rest of the way back to Bayville in silence. 

A few hours later they returned back to the Brotherhood house. The four new editions to the Brotherhood, Wanda (Scarlet Witch), Remy (Gambit), Peter (Colossus) and John (Pyro) had been left behind under the supervision of Mystique's friend Irene (Destiny). 

"Hey what took you so long?" Remy said jokingly, playing with a deck of cards. "Did you get your butts kicked again?"

Lance caused a tremor that shook him from his chair to the floor. "Does that answer your question?" John snickered. "Told ya we should have come along for the ride!"

"Oh well you win some you lose some," Remy shrugged. "Speaking of losers, where's Monsieur Toad? It's time for me to win some more money from him."

The three members who were on the mission looked at each other. Mystique broke the silence. "Toad is no longer with us." 

"What do you mean 'no longer with us'?" Remy asked. 

"He's dead," Pietro said softly. 

"Excuse me I don't think I heard you," Peter said. 

"He's dead," Pietro snapped. "How hard is it for you to figure that out?" 

"What…those X-Freaks killed him?" John gasped.

"No," Irene spoke. "They didn't, did they Mystique?" 

"You know?" Lance asked.

"I had a vision an hour ago," She said simply.

"Know what?" Wanda said. "What is going on here? What happened? How did Toad die? If the X-Men didn't kill him who did?" 

The silence was broken by one word from Pietro. "Magneto." He ran upstairs to his room. 

They stood there shocked. Irene picked up a phone and dialed a number. "What are you doing?" Mystique asked.

"I'm calling my driver," Irene said simply and left the room. Mystique went after her. Although they could not hear what was being said the voices were clearly angry. 

Wanda looked at them as if she was in shock. She then went upstairs. "What happened Lance?" Remy asked as she went.

"It happened so fast…" Lance said in a dazed voice. "One minute Magneto's screaming, the next Mystique's beating the crap out of Todd. I mean really beating him. He was hurt bad. And then…then…Magneto starts talking about making the team stronger and then he…" 

"He what?" Peter asked.

"He threw him out of the jet," Lance said. "Just like that. Like he was garbage or something."

"I don't believe it," Remy said shocked. "I mean I wasn't crazy about the little frog but…I never wished that on him!" 

"I did," John snapped. "Little stinkwart stole my cash and slimed my bed! Good riddance! Now maybe the house won't smell as much." 

"I don't like your attitude," Peter said sternly. "Toad was a comrade. He was loyal. Okay he was inept but loyal. Does that not count for something?" 

"Apparently not," Remy said. "Freddy, why didn't you guys say anything?" 

"Pietro did but…" Lance began. "I'm going to my room." He went upstairs. 

"Harsh," Remy shook his head. 

Fred said nothing. He looked cold and emotionless. He said nothing to any of them. He could not believe what had happened. He was numb. There was only one thing he could do. The only way he knew how to confront a problem that was too big for him to handle.

He went to the kitchen and began to eat. 

************************************************************************

Wanda walked into Pietro's room. "If you've come to tell me how much I am like our father save your breath," He snapped. 

Instead of telling him to go to hell, Wanda replied in an uncharacteristically soft voice, "No, you're not. You feel guilty for what happens. **He **never does." She sat down on the bed next to him. "What happened?" 

"What always happens, we lost," Pietro snapped. "But this time Magneto went berserk. Kept screaming and ranting. He needed a scapegoat, before we knew what happened, he had Mystique beating up Toad and then…"

"And then?"

"He just tossed him out of the jet like he was garbage!" Pietro spat. "Don't look at me like that's my fault! I didn't do anything!" He then said in a soft voice. "I couldn't do anything…" 

"I know," Wanda said softly. "Pietro we have to get away from him. Magneto doesn't care about anyone but himself." 

"And where would we go?" Pietro asked. "Not to the X-Men. They think humans will learn to trust us. Yeah right. They act like stupid pets around them. Always fawning over them wanting acceptance. We can't live like that!"

"Then we can…" Wanda started, but she stopped, knowing the answer.

"We can't get away from him Wanda," He said softly. "He'd hunt us down no matter where we went. We can't fight him. We tried that before, remember? He's too powerful. We don't have any choice." He put his head in his hands. "I'm not strong like you. Maybe you could take him on and win…but I can't. I can't." 

He slumped into his sister's arms. Wanda held him and stroked his hair in order to comfort him. "I almost did once. I was so close…I was even going to hurt you. Then I saw for myself what he did to you. He's the monster, not you. I'm sorry I was ever angry at you," She whispered. 

"You had a right to be," He said softly. "I can't fight him. But someday Wanda…I will. I'll find a way to be free of him once and for all. I promise." 

"I'll help you," She promised softly. "I promise." Tears came to her eyes as she remembered how she witnessed Magneto's treatments of her twin. She no longer hated him. She knew Magneto had placed her brother in a far worse dungeon than she had ever been in. 

************************************************************************

Lance went to his room, not saying anything to the others. He closed the door and removed his helmet. He sat down on the bed and put his head into his hands. He spoke softly to himself. "Wimp…Lance you stinking cowardly wimp!" He broke down and sobbed quietly into oblivion. 

************************************************************************

"How could you do that to him Raven?" Irene asked. "He was only a boy!" 

"We should have gotten rid of that useless moron a long time ago," Mystique snapped. "Only thing he was good for was making a mess of things. It's not like he would have ever amounted to anything. Good riddance." 

Irene had a look on your face. "What if that was your son Raven? Would you be so callous about it then?" She walked out of the room. 

"Where are you going?" Mystique followed her. "I thought you were going to stay with us now?"

"No I've decided to remain at the hotel," Irene said. "I really don't want your company right now." 

"Fine," Mystique gave her a glare that even Irene could see. 

Irene went to the car. The driver opened the door for her and she sat in the back. _I can't believe how hard she's become,_ She thought. _Even I didn't think she'd…._

Before she could finish that thought images swam through her mind. Soldiers. A swamp. Someone in a hospital room but she couldn't make out the face. Mystique being attacked. A bright light. Some kind of stone. Mutants she had never seen before with strange powers. The figure of a snake. Fire everywhere. Bayville High in rubble. More soldiers…no ninjas…the images came faster and faster. She could barely process them. It was too fast.

"AHH!" She cried grabbing her head in shock. Then the images stopped. She sat there a moment taking it all in.

"Are you okay ma'am?" The driver rolled down the partition. 

"Oh yes," Irene covered. "Just a headache." The driver rolled the partition back up. She sat there in stunned shock. "Magneto…Raven…" She said to herself softly. "What have you done? You've changed everything. God help us all." 

**Next chapter, what happens when the X-Men learn of Todd's 'death'? What happens when an unlikely Brotherhood member rebels? How will Magneto keep the Brotherhood from falling apart? And why the heck did they have to end the season like that? AAAGGHGHHHH!!!! Stay tuned! **


	2. Grief

**Grief**

A week had passed since the incident. Yet while the Brotherhood silently contemplated the loss of their teammate, their rivals, the X-Men continued their lives without observing the loss of one of their opponents. Then again, they had some concerns of their own. 

"I hate finals," Kurt groaned as he, Evan and Scott went to the cafeteria. 

"Yeah I wish we could go to Hawaii to see Jean in the US Girls Soccer Championships," Scott sighed. 

"It's not fair," Kurt groaned. "She gets two weeks in the sun and we get two weeks of torture!" 

"Tell me about it," Evan groaned. "I am totally failing history! The Prof's gonna kill me!" 

"I would have liked to see Alex for a while," Scott said.

"Is he still thinking about coming to the Institute?" Kurt asked.

"Nah, he wants to concentrate on his surfing," Scott said. 

"I don't get it, mutants have been outed and all he can do is think about surfing?" Kurt said. 

"Why not?" Evan asked. "All I think about lately is skateboarding. Hey! What's that?" He pointed to some graffiti on the wall. It was an exaggerated picture of a person with horns and a tail being stabbed several times. The words: MUTIES DIE were scrawled under it.

"That is sick!" Evan spat. "Hey isn't there some kind of rule around here that you can't put stuff up like that?"

"Well if there is it's not exactly being enforced," Scott sighed. "Everybody's still spooked at what happened at the Sadie Hawkins Dance, and now that everybody knows mutants exist…" 

They walked away. "Yeah a lot of kids are really starting to say some nasty things," Kurt said. 

"Not just the kids," Scott said. "Some of the teachers are even getting into it. I overheard Principal Kelly muttering something how there ought to be a law on us or words to that effect." 

"Yeah like that's ever gonna happen," Evan snickered. 

"Yeah well we gotta be extra careful from now on," Scott said. "Especially with the new and improved Brotherhood roaming about. Who knows when they're gonna start something?" 

"Well if they do we just put those losers in their place and POW!" Evan made a fist and slammed it into his open palm. 

"Are you crazy?" Scott hissed. "You can't say stuff like that around school! Look we all got lucky no one recognized any of us from that day. If people around here found out we could get in real trouble! All the kids around here are afraid of mutants as it is!"

"Not all of them," Kurt said. "Amanda has been really good about the whole thing." 

"Yeah you're lucky you found someone who's pretty understanding," Scott sighed. "Well at least there's one person around here we can trust." 

"I take it you've decided not to tell Taryn," Evan said.

"Can you blame me? I don't even know if we're gonna be dating that much longer. I like her but I…"

"You're still hooked on Jean," Evan shook his head.

"I can't believe she's still going out with Duncan," Kurt groaned. "You should have heard some of the things he was saying this morning in the hallways! She's a tele…" He looked around cautiously. "You know. How can she not pick up on something like that?" 

"Yeah I thought she was getting tired of him anyway?" Evan asked.

"How should I know what goes on in her mind?" Scott snapped and he walked away.

"Oh man he's got it bad," Kurt shook his head. "And something tells me Jean feels the same way about him."

"Then why don't they just tell each other that and get it over with?" Evan grumbled. "Man sometimes I think those two will never get together." 

Scott wasn't the only one with romantic problems. Rogue was fighting with her locker. "Come on," She snapped at it. "Come on you stupid piece of junk!" 

"You may want to rethink your tactics, Chere." 

Rogue whirled around to see Remy, the cocky Cajun Junior behind her. "What do you want Swamp Rat?" She snarled.

"Easy," He smiled. "Just lending my talents to a damsel in distress. Allow me." He tapped on her locker a few times and it opened as if by magic. "It's all in the touch."

"Yeah well I suppose it's easy to open a locker when you have so much practice being a thief," Rogue said.

To her surprise Remy gently took her gloved hand and kissed it. "Funny thing to say when it is you that have stolen my heart." 

For a full moment Rogue stood there in shock, blinking. Then she remembered herself. "Gee that's an original line," She snapped pulling her hand away. 

Remy casually shrugged. "So Remy not a poet."

"What you are is Brotherhood trash," She snapped. 

"So were you," Remy said. "Not the trash part but…" 

"Look when are you gonna get it through that thick head of yours that I am not gonna go for you?" She shouted. "You and I are enemies! We don't belong together! We are on two separate teams! Got it?" 

"Maybe one of us might change sides Petit," Remy said softly. He winked and walked away. 

"AAGGGGHHH!" Rogue repeatedly hit her head on the locker. "IhatehimIhatehimIhatehim!" 

"You know you're kind of funny when you do your Quicksilver imitation," Kitty giggled as she came up to her. She and Tabitha were together. 

"Let me guess," Tabitha smirked. "You had another 'Gambit Daze'?" 

"A what?" Rogue glared.

"You know when you get that look in your eye like a deer caught in the headlights," Tabitha explained. "Kinda like when Kitty and Lance hang around each other. Everyone else in the whole world disappears except the two of you."

"I do not act like that!" Kitty snapped. "Lance does that!" 

"Oh come on," Tabitha said. "You do that too. Face it, you're as hooked on your bad boy as she is." They walked to the cafeteria together. 

"I do not like him!" Rogue snapped. "That…that swamp rat tricked me when we first met! Nearly blew my head off!" 

"Yeah and Lance nearly killed Kitty and her folks when they first met," Tabitha told her. "That didn't stop them from getting together."

"Some relationship," Rogue grumbled. "Sneaking around everybody's back and fighting each other. No way! That's not gonna happen to me! No way! No how!" 

"Yeah well we haven't been exactly doing anything lately," Kitty sighed. "It's been a week and he hasn't spoken two words to me."

"Sore loser," Tabitha huffed. "He's just mad we beat them so badly the last time we fought." 

"No it's more than that," Kitty said. "In fact…there's something different about the Brotherhood this week. I can't put my finger on it, but something's missing. I mean, look at Blob over there," She pointed. 

"Kind of hard not to," Tabitha smirked.

"No I mean it," She said. "Notice anything different? He's just sitting there alone. And he's not eating. What's up with that?" 

"Yeah that is strange," Rogue said. "You know now that you mention it, they've been unusually quiet lately. Heck Toad hasn't slimed any of our lockers all week. I wonder what's up with that?" 

"I haven't even seen him in my freshman art class," Kitty said. "Maybe he's skipping?" 

"No way," Tabitha said. "That's his favorite subject. He never skips that class. Weird." 

Later that day Kitty ran into Lance. "Uh…Hey Lance," She said. "How are you doing?"

Usually Lance brightened at the sound of her voice. Today he just looked uninterested. "Oh…Hey Kitty. Okay I guess." 

"Um so what have you been doing?" She asked.

"Nothing much, you know. Just… Hanging around," He shrugged, unable to look her in the face. 

"Is something wrong?" She asked. "Are you getting hassled by the guys for seeing me or something."

"Kitty believe it or not, not everything revolves around you!" He snapped. 

"Well excuse me for caring," She huffed and started to walk away. 

"Kitty wait!" Lance grabbed her by the arm. "I…I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. It's just…I've been going through some…stuff. Look I really can't talk about it okay. I'm just sorry." 

"Oh," She said. "Um so do you want to meet together after school? You can always tell Mystique you have detention or something."

"Kitty," Lance sighed. "Look don't take this the wrong way. I do want to but…I just don't want to be with you right now. Don't want to rock the boat. Especially after…" He stopped. 

"After what?"

"Look there's just something I have to deal with right now and I'm having trouble and I really don't want Mystique to find out and get angrier with me so I gotta go," He walked away in a hurry. 

Kitty stood there in shock. "What the heck is going on? Now I know something's wrong!" 

After school Lance was hanging around the bleachers with John and Pietro. "And then she says 'See what you get for five dollars?'" Pietro finished his joke. 

John burst out laughing. "Oh man that is classic!" He elbowed Lance in the ribs. "Hey lighten up buddy! Come on!" 

"Huh?" Lance was in a world of his own.

"Daydreaming about Kitty again?" Pietro smirked.

"Not exactly," Lance sighed. "I just…Maybe I should have talked to her some more. After what happened lately, it's still bothers me."

"Yeah," Pietro looked around nervously. "Hey you'd better be careful. You don't want Mystique railing on you. I mean if she could to that to Toad…"

"Hey we're not supposed to say that name any more!" John snapped. "I don't want us to get in trouble!"

"Not supposed to say his name," Lance spat. "He was with us from the beginning and now we're just supposed to forget him like he never existed? He wasn't so bad! Okay he was annoying, but he was…well that was the way he was!" 

"Hey it's getting late," John changed the subject. "We'd better head home."

"Yeah everybody's gone to that stupid pep rally," Pietro yawned. "How lame is that?"

"What rally?" Lance looked up. 

"The one across town, the big one for the game against Weston High," Pietro rolled his eyes. "You know, the one where after they scream and yell they go over to the school and throw toilet paper everywhere?" 

"Oh that," Lance said. "Wouldn't catch me there." 

"I dunno," John snickered. "Causing destruction to another school sounds like a bit of fun to me." 

"Where's Fred?" Lance asked.

"I dunno," John shrugged. "Maybe he went off with Remy and Peter back to the house." 

"No he's didn't," Pietro said. "He's over there near the school." He zoomed over to Fred who was just sitting there. "Hey Freddy!" He said cheerfully. "Fred, Freddy, the Fredderman!" 

Fred said nothing. "You know that's what I love about you Fred is your sparkling wit and engaging conversation," Pietro quipped. "Come on! Talk to me man! What's eating you?"

Still Fred said nothing. "Well okay," Pietro shrugged. "Don't tell me. But we gotta get back. Mystique wants us to…"

The next thing Pietro knew he was sailing across the room. "What did you that for man?" He shouted rubbing his head. To his horror Fred was throwing chairs with such force they were imbedded into the wall. Pietro barely managed to escape being knocked about. "FRED HAVE YOU LOST IT?" He screamed. 

A table flew at him and he ran out the door. "Ask a stupid question," He gulped. He ran back to the others to get help. 

Meanwhile the X-Men were doing a little remodeling of their own. "Why are we doing this again?" Evan asked as he picked up a box.

"We don't want anybody to accidentally find Forge's old lab," Scott told him. "If someone finds it they might trace it back to mutants. We should have done this long ago." 

"Well at least we got all the computer parts out," Kurt said. 

"Kurt why don't you and Kitty go and see if you can find some stuff from the janitor's closet to help us clean this up better?" Scott asked. 

"Okay," He said.

"And no porting!" Scott warned him. 

"Relax Scott," Kitty said. "Everybody's at the pep rally. There's no one else here."

"Well just to be safe," Scott told them. "You never know."

"You're no fun anymore," Kitty smirked. "Come on Kurt, let's get the stuff." 

They walked inside and found the janitor's closet. Kitty phased through the door and got some supplies. They were about to head back when they heard the noise. "Someone's here!" Kitty gasped.

"Yeah and by the sound of it, a person who's not too happy!" 

"It's coming from the second floor!" Kitty said. 

"Hang on!" Kurt teleported there. They saw several classrooms trashed. "Man what happened?"

"Does that answer your question?" Kitty gulped as they saw Fred fling a desk at them. Kitty held onto Kurt and they phased right through. "Something tells me we're gonna need help!"

"Gotcha!" Kurt nodded and they bamphed out of there. 

"Kurt what did I say about teleporting?" Scott snapped when they arrived. 

"It's the Brotherhood!" Kurt called out. "They're trashing the school!"

"What?" Evan yelped. "Oh man! They never learn do they!" 

"We gotta stop them! Let's go X-Men!" They ran inside the school. 

They found the other Brotherhood members at the bottom of the stairs. "I ain't going back up there!" Pietro yelped at Lance.

"Freddy cut it out!" Lance shouted. 

"Alvers!" Scott shouted. "What are you maniacs doing trashing the school?" 

"We aren't trashing the school!" John snapped. A chair flew down the stairs. "Blob is!" 

"Believe it or not Summers we're trying to stop him!" Lance snapped. 

"Yeah Blob's gone totally bonkers!" Pietro snapped. "If we don't stop him he's gonna make it hot for all of us!" 

"I don't believe you!" Scott snapped. "Why would he do something like that?"

"Well because…" John started.

"Who knows why?" Lance cut in. "Just stay out of our way while we take care of this!" 

"Oh no!" Scott snapped. "If you think we're gonna…" 

"Scott like can we argue about this later and take care of the Blob first!" Kitty shouted as the sound of breaking glass came from upstairs. 

"Right," Scott nodded. "Kurt take Rogue and see if you two can't drain off some of that anger!" 

"Got it!" Rogue said. 

"Now as for you losers…"Scott snapped. 

"Oh for crying out loud!" Lance rolled his eyes. Soon they were arguing with each other. 

Kurt teleported with Rogue upstairs. They heard sounds of metal being smashed. "That's our boy!" They ran to the school's lab and saw Fred trashing the place. "Knock it off you yahoo or the gloves come off!" 

"For once Rogue we are in complete agreement." 

Everyone turned to the voice. Mystique stood in the doorway. "What do you think you're doing you stupid lummox?"

Fred glared at her and walked up to her. He then backhanded her into one of the desks.

"You…struck me?" She snarled, blood running out of her mouth. "You are going to pay for that!" 

"What'cha gonna do Mystique?" Fred snapped at her. "Kill me like you killed Toad?" 

"WHAT?" Rogue yelped in shock. 

"Toad's…dead?" Kurt looked at her. "Mother…you killed him?"

"That's not what happened!" Mystique hissed. "You lumbering oaf! You've…AAGGGHH!" She screamed as Fred grabbed her wrist. "Let go of me!" 

"Yeah you got a real nice mom here furball," Fred snarled. "Gets her kicks beating up people. Well I'd like to see you beat me up!" His hand gripped tighter. Mystique screamed in agony.

"Let go!" Kurt shouted trying to separate them. "You're hurting her!" 

"GOOD!" Fred threw him across the room with his free hand. "What's wrong Mystique? Don't like to be on the receiving end do ya?" 

"Kurt get help!" Rogue called to him. Fortunately Kurt managed not to be injured. "Stop it Blob! You'll kill her!" She felt sick when she heard the sound of bone crunching. 

"That's the idea!" He snapped. 

At this Kurt teleported out. He found himself back in the halls with the other X-men. "CYCLOPS!" He shouted. "Blob's gone ballistic! He's gonna kill Mystique!" 

"What?" Scott asked. "What are you talking about?" 

"Blob's attacking her! He said she killed Toad!"

"Are you serious?" Evan spat. He glared at Pietro. "Is that true?"

"Technically no," John said. "Actually Magneto took care of that wuss." 

"WHAT?" Kitty shouted. "Lance what's this all about?" 

"Start talking Alvers!" Scott grabbed his arm.

"Fine and as we're talking Blob will kill Mystique and trash the school and mutants will get the blame," Lance snapped. "Unless you want that to happen I suggest we call a truce and stop him before things get really ugly!" He broke away and took off upstairs, the X-Men followed them. 

They didn't have to go very far, they saw Mystique being thrown out the window. Fortunately she managed to shapeshift into a bird. But she was wounded and barely made it to the ground where she changed back. Her arm was at an unnatural angle. "Oh man," Evan gulped. "This is nuts!" 

"Guys let's get her out of here!" Lance shouted heading for the outside. 

To the X-Men's horror they saw Fred walking downstairs. They tried to stop him but he easily swatted them away. He headed outside. The Brotherhood was crowded around Mystique. But none of them were doing anything to help her.

"You stupid fools!" She shouted at them. "Destroy him!"

"And how do we do that?" Lance snapped at her. "You know maybe Blob has the right idea!" 

Before anyone could say anything a table was thrown at her. She barely moved aside in time. "Blob you…" She stopped when she realized he wasn't the one who threw the table. 

Standing in the doorway was Rogue. By the look in her eyes and the sight of her ungloved hands everyone could tell she touched Fred. Fred was still on his feet behind her. He had a twisted smile on her face. "I thought Rogue here might see for herself what happened," He laughed. 

"Rogue, listen to me," Mystique pleaded. "I can explain…" 

"Yeah why don't you tell me Mystique?" Rogue snarled. "Why don't you tell me how fast you started beating Toad when Magneto snapped his fingers? How much fun you had kicking him and using a whip on him? How much he pleaded and begged…His eyes…I can see his eyes! And when you were finished…MURDERER!" She lunged at her, only to be held back by Scott and the rest of the X-Men. "Murderer! You just let Magneto toss him out of that jet like he was garbage!" 

"Oh god…" Kitty looked at Mystique and then Lance. "Is that true?" Lance looked away. 

"How could you let that happen?" Scott asked incredulously.

"Hey Magneto thought it was time to cut out the losers!" John snapped. "Besides, in a way that's your fault! If you hadn't stopped us on our mission the boss wouldn't have had to make an example out of him!" 

"And I'm gonna make an example out of you!" Fred shouted preparing for the final blow. Not one member of the Brotherhood stood in his way. 

"NO!" Kurt shouted. "You'll kill her!" 

"That's the idea! Trust me Blue Boy," Fred shouted. "I'm doing you a favor!" He prepared for the final blow.

It never came. Fred froze at the last instant. His face contorted and then changed from an angry rage to a glazed look. He put down his fist and simply walked away. 

"What the heck happened?" Lance asked.

"I dunno but I kinda hope it happens to Rogue," Evan grumbled, as he and the other X-Men struggled so that she wouldn't break away and go after Mystique herself. 

"Come on let's get her home," Lance told the Brotherhood. They took her away. 

Pietro remained behind. "If you don't want the cops to find you here I suggest you leave as well." Then he ran off. 

"WE HAVE TO GET HER!" Rogue screamed. "WE CAN'T LET HER GET AWAY!" 

"We don't have any choice," Scott said. "Kurt, get Rogue to the mansion now!" Kurt did so. "The rest of us grab what we can of the lab and go."

"I don't believe it," Evan said. "Toad's…dead?"

"So that's why we haven't seen him," Kitty said softly. "Lance said he was going through something terrible…" 

Back at the mansion the X-Men had given the adults a complete account of what had happened. Xavier probed Rogue's mind. Even he was shocked at what he found. He had Hank take her down to the infirmary for a sedative to calm her down. "Is she gonna be okay?" Kitty asked. 

"Eventually," Xavier frowned. "I knew Magneto could be ruthless and he didn't care about his charges, but I had no idea he would go that far." 

"What kind of sickos kill their own people?" Bobby asked. Some of the newer mutants had overheard. 

"I knew I should have taken her out when I had the chance," Logan snarled. 

"Blob almost did," Evan said. "Maybe we should have let him. That is until he went weird. Turned into a zombie."

"Mind control?" Scott asked.

"No doubt about it," Logan grunted. 

"Professor did you…?" Scott asked.

"No," Xavier's eyes narrowed. "It wasn't me."

"Well if it wasn't you then who…?" Scott asked. 

"Someone with a very powerful mind," Xavier frowned. "Maybe even as powerful as mine." 

Not far away three figures were overlooking Bayville High from atop a hill. Pietro sped up to him. "Done," He told him. "Made it look like the damage was done by jocks from Weston High." 

"A rival school of theirs," Magneto explained to the others. "Go back to the others. Await my instructions." 

Pietro nodded and obeyed. "I must thank you Destiny for helping me avert a terrible disaster," He spoke to Irene. 

"I knew something like this would happen," Irene snapped. "You shouldn't have killed the boy. It makes them less loyal to you." 

"Fortunately I have you to warn me of events such as this," Magneto told her. "And you my lady to assist me." He turned to a tall blonde woman in a white power suit. 

"Don't call me that!" She snapped. "I am not one of your hired hands!" 

"My dear Emma," Magneto rephrased his words. "I merely wished to thank you for your assistance."

"This was a one time deal Magneto," Emma Frost hissed. "I only did it to repay a debt. I have my own affairs to deal with without cleaning up your messes!" 

"Perhaps I should have handled the situation better," Magneto admitted.

"You think?" Emma snapped. 

"Are you sure the job is done?" Irene asked.

"Yes it was a simple job," She nodded. "I merely rearranged his memories a little to make him think that it was the fault of the X-Men. And I installed some loyalty into the others just to be on the safe side. All except the Cajun. For some reason I couldn't get into his mind. Not without him knowing anyway. I didn't want to take the risk."

"No matter," Magneto said. "His loyalty has never been in question." 

"Fine," Emma walked off. "Then if you have no more need for me, I'll go. Just one warning Magneto. This is what happens when you act without thinking through the consequences! The Circle is angry enough with you for how you handled Trask and the Sentinel Project!"

"I'm not a member of your precious Circle," Magneto told her. "I don't care what they think."

"You should," She snapped. "If you had listened to me when I contacted you we would have taken out Trask and his tinker toy without a whimper. But noooo! You had to make a statement! And now we're finding ourselves trying to clean up your mess! If you weren't such a valuable ally to us…"

"But I am," He said. "We may have different philosophies, but our goal is the same. Mutant supremacy." 

"Not exactly," She said. "But close enough. Do not get in our way again Magneto. Next time, we will not be as lenient. And then you will truly understand the power of the Inner Circle!" She walked away into the night. 

The next day in a corner of the Mansion's gardens, the X-Men and New Mutants found themselves together for a strange service. "I can't believe we're doing this," Evan said.

"It's the right thing to do," Kurt said sharply. They were standing around a small circle of stones. At the head of it was a small statue of an angel. Some flowers were strewn at its feet. "He was a living being. He deserves some kind of grave, even if we can't find his body." 

"I still say it's stupid," Evan grumbled.

That's when Tabitha slapped him. 

"Hey you don't want to be here then don't!" Tabitha shouted. "Rogue and I lived with him. We have a right! At least Kurt here has the decency to feel bad! Which is more than what I can say for you!" 

"Tabitha please," Xavier said softly. "We're all upset at the situation. I wish things were different with Toad." 

"Yeah well I'm gonna make Magneto and Mystique wish they were never born!" Tabitha stormed off. "That's a promise I intend to keep!" 

"Tabitha!" Scott called out. 

"I'll get her Scott," Ray told him. "Knowing Boom Boom she'll probably blow up a few things just to get it all out of her system." He took off after her. The sound of a few explosions in the distance told him he was right. 

The X-Men quietly paid their respects. One by one they went inside the mansion. Except for Rogue. "You coming kid?" Logan asked.

"I just want to be alone for a little while, okay?" Rogue asked.

"Of course child," Ororo nodded. They walked away. 

Logan and Ororo hung back for a moment. "We should have prepared them for things like this," He sighed.

"How do you prepare for things like this?" Ororo asked, a bitter tone in her voice. 

"Storm, I know you don't want to hear this," Logan said. "But Magneto wants nothing more than all out war. And these kids are going to have to be the ones to fight him. Toad just happened to be the first casualty."

"You're right," Ororo said bitterly. "I don't." She walked away. Logan shook his head and sighed. He looked at Rogue then walked away. 

Rogue stood at the grave. "Toad…" She said softly. "I…I wish this hadn't happened. Maybe I should have treated you nicer. You didn't deserve this. Nobody does. I just hope that wherever you are…you finally find some peace." A tear slid down her cheek. Then she had the strangest sensation she was being watched. Her suspicions were confirmed when she saw a shadow over her. "You?" She whirled around and saw who it was. 

"Hello Rogue," Remy said softly.

"What are you doing here?" Rogue snapped at him, putting up her fists for a fight. 

"Easy," Remy held up his hands. "I just came here to pay my respects. At least one of the Brotherhood should be here."

"That's a load of bull!" Rogue shouted. "You killed him!"

"No Mystique and Magneto killed him," He corrected her. "Not my idea. I wasn't even there. Remember? Or did Blob's memories fade already?"

Rogue backed down. "No," She said softly. "I'll never forget that memory. The Prof asked me if I wanted it erased, but I said no. It's the least I can do for him. He deserves to be remembered if nothing else." 

Remy walked past her and took something out of his jacket. It was a CD. He placed it on the small grave. "It's a CD of some of his favorite songs," Remy explained. "It was in his room. I figured it would mean more than flowers…" 

"That's…that's real nice of you," Rogue told him.

"Some of the others wanted to come," Remy explained. "But …you know." 

"Yeah I get the picture," She said. "Is that why you really came?" 

"Believe it or not, yes," He said. "I feel bad about what happened. We all do." 

"Apparently not all of you," Rogue snapped. "Of course if it was an X-Man all of you would be celebrating!" 

"Remy is a thief Chere," He told her. "Not an assassin. I don't celebrate death. Not even my enemies." He walked away leaving Rogue alone with her thoughts. 


	3. Guilt

**Guilt**

"Professor you have to do something!" Tabitha shouted. "Can't you use Cerebro to find him?"

"I can't unless he's using his mutant abilities," Xavier told her. "And…Based on what I've seen. The injuries he's sustained…" 

"NOOOOO!" Tabitha screamed. 

"Tabitha, I'm sorry…" Xavier reached out to comfort her.

"No you're not," Tabitha said. But it wasn't her voice. She shifted into Toad. "You're not sorry at all."

"That's not true!" Xavier protested. "I am sorry…"

"Bull!" Toad shot out. "I was your enemy! Why wouldn't you be glad I'm dead!"

"I'm not glad!" Xavier shouted. "I'm not! It didn't have to be this way…"

"You're right it didn't!" Toad snapped. 

"I offered you a place here but you refused it!" Xavier told him. 

"Oh please," Toad sneered. "You never really wanted me in the first place! And don't lie to me! Let's review shall we?" The room changed to the old Cerebro room. There was a blip on the screen. "One week before I talked to Scott," Toad said simply. "One week! You sensed my mutant powers with Cerebro!" 

"You don't understand," Xavier said. "At the time Cerebro was very new. I had a lot of false alarms before I perfected it! Yes I found some mutants with it, but there were others that I found that weren't mutants! That's why I ran that test on you! I had to make sure!" 

"Ha! I stick a three-foot tongue out in front of Shades and you needed to run a test to see if I was a mutant! Oh yeah and what a great test that was!" Toad said. "Look at this! You had that Weather Witch of yours gets me soaking wet, fries my butt, have Nightcrawler attack me then I get stuck in that psycho training session!" The scene replayed in front of him. "How did you think I was gonna react?"

"I made a mistake," Xavier admitted. 

"Ya think?" Toad snapped. "Of course then you went into my brain afterwards and found out what you already suspected…" 

"I admit I was shocked when I learned Mystique had already gotten to you," Xavier said. "But I didn't…" 

"**You** didn't want to take a chance that your precious school would be compromised," Toad snarled. "Even though you looked into my mind and saw Mystique had frightened me into doing her dirty work, you still said nothing! Maybe compromised was the wrong word. You didn't want your school to be contaminated by me!" 

"No, no that's not true…" Xavier said nervously.

"Oh come on," Toad said rolling his eyes. "Don't bother! Hey so you only wanted the best of the best! It's only natural to want the cream of the crop for your team! So did Magneto. But at least he's more honest about it!" 

"That's a lie!" Xavier debated. 

"Is it?" Toad asked. "Okay what about Lance? Hmm? You didn't exactly rush over to get him now did you? In fact, you pretty much ignored him. What was that phrase that ran through your mind when you first found out about him? Oh yes. 'Morally Shady!' Does that ring a bell?" 

"No, Mystique got to him first!" Xavier defended.

"You let Mystique get to him first!" Toad shouted. "And the others, you didn't even try with them."

"What about Rogue?" Xavier asked. "I took her in."

Todd made a buzzer sound. "AAAHH! Doesn't count! It was Summers that got her, not you! In fact, you had already written her off when you started having her as the villain in the Danger Room. Remember?" 

Toad walked around him in circles. "Face it Professor, in your own way, you're as bad as Magneto! You only want the best for your team. You want to have your own little perfect soldiers for your war! Well you forgot one thing, wars have a lot of innocent casualties!" 

A huge tornado spun in front of Xavier, engulfing Toad. "NO!" Xavier called out. "Stop!" He screamed as he recalled all the fears, torments and horrors he had ever sensed in Toad. All the nightmarish memories that Rogue had absorbed and forgotten surrounded him and battered him mind. 

The tornado subsided. He saw Toad's body as he had seen it in Fred's memories, battered and bruised. Xavier shuddered in fear as Toad spit up blood and slime. He looked at him with pitiful eyes. "Why didn't you save me?" 

Xavier reached out to him, but found nothingness. The next thing he knew he was falling into a pit of darkness. "WHYYYYYYY?" Todd's voice screamed at him. 

Xavier shot out of his bed, covered in sweat, shaking. He closed his eyes and put his head in his hands and wept. 


	4. Hawaiian Holiday

****

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I don't own _most_ of the people in this fic. Okay, now we are going to take a fun twist with this story. First of all we need a little humor and action. Second…well it's my fic and I can do what I want! He He! 

**Hawaiian Holiday**

A week after the incident, Scott and the other X-Men found themselves in Hawaii. "I'm so glad you could come bro!" Alex said to his brother as they entered the stadium for the soccer finals. 

"Yeah it's great seeing you," Scott admitted. "And it'll be great to surprise Jean too! I just wish we didn't come here under …other circumstances."

"Yeah I'm really sorry Scott," Alex said. "I mean what kind of people do that to their own followers? That's just plain sick! I can't believe I ever listened to that guy once!" 

"Yeah," Scott sighed. "I know what you mean. Rogue and Kurt took it the hardest. That's why Xavier pulled some strings to get us here. Thought it might help us all get over it. But…" He stopped and leaned against the wall.

"What is it?" Alex asked.

"For the first time I'm realizing how serious things are," Scott said. "Maybe it's just as well you don't want to join us just yet. At least one of us will be safe."

"Hey it's not that I don't wanna join you," Alex put his hand on his shoulder. "It's just that I don't really think I'm ready. That's all."

"Hey Alex, you don't have to explain yourself to me," Scott shook his head. "Whatever you wanna do with your life is cool with me. I understand." 

"Hey come on," Alex waved. "Let's go find some primo seats so we can cheer your friend on!" Scott nodded and smiled, then followed his brother into the stands. 

"It was fortunate that Charles was able to get the students to the game," Ororo said watching them. "This 'vacation' was badly needed." 

"I dunno Ororo," Logan shook his head. "Some of them may not be up to this. It may be too soon. I mean I can't believe Jean's playing. Even she didn't hate the little stinkwad that much…" He then looked at her. "Chuck didn't tell her did he?"

"He thought it best not to just yet," Ororo said softly. 

"So she could win a stupid soccer game?" Logan snapped.

"This stupid soccer game is very important to her!" Ororo snapped back.

"More important than someone's life?" Logan shot back. 

"That's not the point," Ororo said. 

"Then what is?" Logan asked. 

"We are all sorry about Toad," She said. "But we have to watch out for our own students and care for them." 

"I know," Logan said. "I don't like how some of these kids are taking it though. It's making them a little hard. Too hard for my taste. Shouldn't be that way at their age. And not just them." He looked at her. "You and Chuck are taking it pretty hard as well. Denying it ain't gonna make it go away you know."

"What are you talking about?" 

"You know what I mean," He said. "I've been watching you train lately. You're pushing yourself too hard, Storm."

"Mystique has a lot to answer for," She glared at him.

"Hey I want her as much as you do, maybe even more. But let's face facts, that woman is capable of anything. Just because you beat her in a fight a couple of times doesn't change the fact that she's a killer. She's done playing by the rules. She's out for blood now. And you're starting to act a lot like her."

"I've had enough of this conversation," She started walking away.

"I'm just trying to look out for you," Logan called after her. 

"I can take care of myself thank you very much," Ororo walked away. 

"Is everything all right Logan?" Xavier rolled up to him.

"You're the telepath what do you think?" Logan glared at him. "We need to talk." 

"Logan I know you're upset but this game means a lot to Jean," Xavier said. "It would be wrong to have her lose it because she was… distracted." 

"Distracted is an interesting way of putting it," Logan snapped. "I know you didn't like the kid but…"

"I never said that!" Xavier snapped. "I never hated him! I…I…" He closed his eyes and shook his head. "I'm sorry Logan, I didn't mean to snap. You're right. I should have told Jean. I just…I just didn't want anyone else to feel any more pain." 

Logan's eyes narrowed. "You're not responsible for his death Chuck." He said.

"How…?" Xavier looked at him. 

"You're reeking of guilt," Logan said. "You didn't kill him Chuck. Magneto and Mystique did. Besides, the kid made his choice."

"He didn't have a choice!" Xavier said. "They got to him before we did and…I didn't try very hard to convince him. I believe I let my personal views influence me…if I had done things differently…he might still be alive." 

"You ain't the one who beat him and threw him outta a jet Chuck," Logan told him. "And you didn't just stand by and let it happen either." 

"In a way…I did," Xavier said quietly. He wheeled away. Logan frowned after him. 

Other X-Men were also feeling the after affects of the incident. Rogue sat next to Kurt in the stands. "How are you holding up?" She asked him. 

"I dunno," He sighed. "I feel guilty for even being here. I mean…you know?"

"Yeah," She nodded. "I know." 

"It just feels so…wrong," Kurt sighed. "I mean, I know he was my enemy. And he wasn't exactly my friend or anything. But…I knew him! And now all of the sudden I'm supposed to forget all about him as if nothing happened?"

"I know," Rogue said quietly. "He was a little creep but…he didn't deserve it." 

"The worst part is knowing that Mystique…my mother…" Kurt's fists clenched into balls. "How could she **do** that to a kid? Any kid? Would she have done it to me if…" He shook his head. "I don't want to talk about this any more." 

Rogue nodded. "Okay, hey let's just watch the game. Maybe it will take our minds off of it for a while." She added softly. "Brooding over him won't bring him back or change anything. But maybe…"

"Yes?" Kurt looked at her.

"Maybe if we remember him…it will help us understand why people do what they do in the future," Rogue said with a faraway look in her eyes. "And maybe it will keep us from hating them as much." 

Kurt was about to ask when the announcer called out Jean's name as captain of the Bayville High soccer team. The X-Men looked for their teammate. Jean looked at them with surprise as they waved to her. They had gotten great seats near the field so she spotted them easily. She looked so happy.

"Man this is gonna be a great game," Scott said. "Jean looks totally psyched!" 

"Yeah she's gonna win this easy!" Kitty said.

"I dunno," Alex shook his head. "You forget my school's the other finalist. And we have a real good team as well." 

"Yeah but you don't have a team captain like Jean," Scott told him.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Alex smirked. 

"And announcing number 13, Team Captain…." The announcer shouted. "Freshman Althea Delgato!" A girl with black hair and blue streaks ran out in a red uniform. 

"I don't believe it!" Taryn snickered. "Their captain is just a freshman! What is this a joke?" 

"Hey maybe she's some kind of replacement for the real captain or something?" Another girl said.

"Look let's just play our best and have fun," Jean said. "Besides, the other team is still pretty good." 

Back in the stands. "What's the matter little bro?" Scott smirked. "Your captain call in sick or something?"

"Nope that's her," Alex smiled. 

"Oh come on," Scott said. "She's a freshman! Jean will cream her!"

"Hey!" Kitty snapped.

"No offense," Scott apologized. 

"Well then you won't mind a little wager will you?" Alex smirked. "Say…Loser buys dinner tonight?" 

"You're on!" Scott told him. "Hope you don't go broke buying us all dinner tonight."

"Oh I don't think that's going to be a problem," Alex smirked.

Back on the field the two captains met. Even though Jean was clearly taller than the other girl was, her attitude seemed much larger than her actual size. As they shook hands Jean noticed that she wore gloves with cut out fingers, just like Lance's. "Hey," Jean smiled. "Good luck! Don't be nervous now. It's just a game." 

"Funny," Althea smirked at her. "I was gonna tell you the same thing." 

The referee blew the whistle. Jean went to kick the ball. 

Only it wasn't there. 

To her shock the opposing team's captain had gotten the ball first and had easily ran past her. Jean's teammates tried to stop her but she swerved around them easily. The girl delivered a powerful kick that landed the ball right into Bayville's goal. The crowd went wild. _Okay…_Jean thought to herself. _What just happened? Must have been a fluke._

That's what she told herself the second time it happened. And the third. By the fourth and fifth time her own self confidence was taking quite a beating. _How does she get that ball before I do? How can she be so fast! I'm an X-Man for crying out loud! How does she do that? And when she does get the ball I can't even get near her! _

"Man she's good!" Evan gulped. 

"For a freshman," Scott said in awe.

"Are you kidding dude?" Evan said. "She's good enough for the US Women's soccer team!" Then he saw her score another goal. "Make that the men's team…" 

"Now what were you saying about freshmen?" Kitty made an evil smirk at Scott. 

Jean tried to steal the ball but ended up getting elbowed in the side. She went down hard as Althea scored another goal. Apparently the referee never even saw it. 

"Whatsa matter Red?" Althea smirked as she stood over her. "I thought you've played this game before?" 

"Okay that's it," Jean snapped as she got up. "No more Miss Nice Girl!" She shouted to her team to confer. "All right, it's time we got rough. Game plan number 26!" 

"But you said number 26 was too unsportsman like?" One of her teammates protested. 

"Forget what I said!" She snapped. "You wanna win this game or not? Break!" 

At the next game almost the entire team rushed at Althea in one huge block. _Let's see her try to keep the ball this time!_ Jean smiled to herself. _There's nothing she can do to stop me this time!_

Althea smirked and kicked the ball towards them. She kicked, very hard. 

The ball sailed over their heads. "Oh… my…God!" Taryn yelped. "She did not do what I think she did!" 

That was nothing compared to what happened next. They tried to rush her, but she jumped over them. Actually she jumped and did a flip over their heads. She landed on her feet easily while Jean and the others fell flat on their faces as they tried to tackle her. She ran off laughing.

"Okay," Kitty gasped. "That is no way normal! How did she do that?" 

"What is she?" Kurt gasped. "Some kind of acrobat?" 

"What kind of move was that?" Evan said. "Where'd she learn moves like that?" 

"Will you please remove your arm?" Ororo's voice rose over the crowd's cheering. It did not sound very pleasant.

The kids looked over at the next bench. Sitting next to Ororo was a bearded sailor. "Aw come on Dollface, I didn't mean it like that!" He smiled. 

"Don't…" Ororo glared at him. "Call me dollface!" 

"Whatever you say Honeybunch," He smiled. 

"Don't call me that either!" Ororo snapped.

"Well what else am I gonna call you if you won't tell me your name?" The sailor asked. 

"Her name's Ororo," Logan walked up to the man. 

"Oh is she your…?" The sailor asked.

"Oh no," Logan smiled mischievously. "She's as free as a bird!" 

"What?" Ororo glared at Logan. 

"Hey it's not like you need my help or anything," Logan smiled. "I mean you can take care of yourself." He waved as he walked away. "Have fun!"

"We will!" Shipwreck waved back. "Nice guy."

"Gonna be a dead guy when I get a hold of him," Ororo muttered under her breath. 

"So Ororo," The man smiled. "I'm Hector! Pleased to meet you! So what do you do? What kind of drinks do you like? Know any good motels around here?"

"Hey mister!" Evan had overheard the conversation and now was trying to play the tough guy. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Evan I can handle this myself," Ororo was really starting to get embarrassed now. 

"Is this your kid!" The sailor said brightly. "I love kids! I have a few of them myself! In fact…"

"DADDY!" 

They turned and saw Althea Delgato storming off the field, charging at the sailor. "How many times have I told you to stop hitting on women when we're out in public?" 

"I am not hitting on women," The sailor sniffed. "I am merely engaging in a pleasant conversation with this lady."

"Bull!" Althea snapped. "This is why I never take you to any of my games! You are so embarrassing!"

"Hey at least I have my shirt on! And I didn't moon the referee! What more do you want from me?" 

"Lady," Althea told Ororo. "Please feel free to hit my father as hard as you like. He has such a thick head it doesn't register if you go easy on him!" 

"You know there's a little commandment," The sailor snapped. "Called Honor thy Father. I don't know which one it is. It's one of the top five I know that!"

"If the writers of the Bible had a father like you that commandment would be very different!" Althea snapped. "Anyway there is another commandment that says: Thou shalt not hit on women at thy daughter's soccer game!" 

"You know you really are uptight," The sailor said. "All I am doing is talking with a charming lady. Maybe find my soulmate and you a nice female role model. You could certainly use one."

"Does anyone want to trade seats with me?" Ororo looked around her. "Please?" 

"I'm just trying to have some fun!" Althea's father said.

"Funny how every time you want to have fun you end up in jail or nearly slapped with a lawsuit!" Althea snapped. "You are unbelievable!" 

It was by far the strangest sight any of the X-Men had ever seen. They kept shouting at each other and trading insults as if they were in the privacy of their own home, not at a stadium filled to capacity with hundreds of people watching them. "Oh god…" Ororo nearly fainted when she saw herself on the huge television screen with them. 

"Uh…" Jean said. "Don't you think that this would be better if you two talked this out? In private?" 

"Keep your bra on Red!" Althea snapped. "I'll be back to beat you in a minute!" 

"Take your time Althea," Her coach called. Apparently she knew about Althea's father all too well. "You do what you have to. We can hold them off until you get back."

"Thanks coach," Althea nodded. "And as for you!" She grabbed her father by the ear. "We are going to have a little time out!"

"OW! OW! OW!" The sailor yelped in pain as she dragged him away. "CUT THAT OUT! THIS IS PARENT ABUSE!" 

"Okay that was weird," Scott said watching them argue as they left. 

"Like totally bizarre," Kitty agreed. "It looked like something out of the Twilight Zone. Poor Storm. She must be like totally humiliated. If anything like that happened to me I'd just die!"

"Storm's made of stronger stuff than that," Scott told her.

"I wanna die," Ororo moaned quietly to herself, covering her face with her hands. "I just wanna die." 

"Well at least one good thing," Jean sighed. "At least with her out of the game we have a chance to score a goal." 

As it turned out, Althea's team was very proficient in keeping the ball away from Jean's team. The game only had a few minutes left when Althea came back in the game. _That's it! I've had it!_ Jean thought as she used her telekinesis to get the ball from Althea and get it into the goal. 

Her victory was short lived as the horn blared, signaling the game's end. Bayville had lost 8-1. Althea glared at Jean, wondering how she could have made that goal. She shrugged and joined her team in celebration. While the X-Men decided to console their teammate in defeat. 

"So much for this making us feel better," Rogue sighed as they made their way to meet her. 

"Jean!" Scott called out, waving to her. She saw them and ran up to them, giving Scott a hug. "Hey! Great game! Sorry you didn't win. But you still played a great game."

"Yeah well at least I got one goal in," Jean sighed.

"Even if it was against the rules?" Xavier raised an eyebrow. 

"All the good that it did," Jean sighed. "I know but I was just so frustrated!" 

"Well…" Xavier said. "No real harm was done. But you have to be more careful in the future." 

"I promise," Jean sighed. "I can't believe you guys came all the way out here! But I thought you all had finals and couldn't get away?"

"Well…" Scott rubbed his head. "Yeah but something kinda happened not too long ago." 

"What?" Jean asked. "Guys what's wrong with you?"

"Jean there's something I need to talk to you about," Xavier said.

Back at the hotel later that day, Xavier spoke to Jean privately and told her what had happened back in Bayville. 

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Jean asked. 

"This meant so much to you. I didn't want you to lose your concentration on the game," Xavier said. 

"Yeah well a lot of good that did," Jean grumbled. "I can't believe I got beaten so badly! That girl ran rings around me!"

"Until you used your telekinesis," Xavier pointed out.

"My pride got the better of me," Jean threw up her hands. "I admit it. I just couldn't stand being beaten by a little…"

"Freshman?" Xavier raised an eyebrow. 

"Yeah," Jean sighed. "I think I've been with Duncan far too long. Some of his pig headedness must have rubbed off on me. But she was so arrogant and…Oooh!"

"Hey Jean!" Scott and the others walked in. He hugged her. "Did the Professor tell you…?" 

"Yeah just now," She nodded. "It doesn't seem real." 

"Yeah I know," Scott sighed. 

"Why would he do something like that?" Jean asked.

"It's his way of weeding out the weak," Xavier told her. "He's so obsessed with the idea of the strongest survive any type of weakness in a mutant offends him." 

"Well he'd certainly be offended with me if he saw how I played today," Jean grumbled. 

"Hey don't blame yourself Jean," Evan said. "That girl had the moves! I've never seen anything like it! She played like a pro." 

"Yeah that girl must be pretty popular at your school Alex," Kurt said. 

"She doesn't go to our school," Alex told him. 

"What?" Jean asked.

"Well technically no," Alex told her. "She's home schooled. Her father's on an army base and they move around a lot. She takes a few classes every now and then when her dad's stationed at the base."

"Wait a minute," Scott said. "You mean the navy base. Her father's a sailor. We saw him at the game."

"No I'm pretty sure it's at this army base, Delta something or other," Alex said.

"Delta Red?" Logan came in.

"Yeah that's it," Alex said. "You know it."

"I know of it," Logan frowned. "A lot of top secret projects go on in that base. They only station the best commandos there. Not exactly a family friendly place if you get my drift."

"So what's she doing living there?" Jean asked. 

"Something tells me that there is much more to this Althea Delgato than meets the eye," Xavier's eyes narrowed. 

"Chuck we got a problem," Logan said. "The reason I came in here was to tell you that some kind of alarm went off on Cerebro. The kids back home just called."

"Really," Xavier turned on his laptop and checked the files. 

"What is it professor?" Scott asked.

"Someone tried to hack into Cerebro," Xavier told him. 

************************************************************************

"I CANNOT BELIEVE THE WAY YOU ACTED YOUNG LADY!" Shipwreck shouted as they walked into the office.

"ME?" Althea shouted back. "LOOK WHO'S TALKING! I'M NOT THE ONE HITTING ON WOMEN DURING THE GAME!"

"I take it that it was a typical father/daughter day?" Lady Jaye, the GI Joe intelligence officer smirked. 

"And how!" Althea snapped. "You are so grounded Dad! No more cookies!" 

"In your dreams!" Shipwreck snapped. 

"So other than your father acting his usual charming self, how was the game?" Lady Jaye asked. 

"Fine," She shrugged. "We won easy. Most of those other players have no clue when it comes to soccer!" 

"Well most of them didn't have ninja training," Shipwreck pointed out. "Or have lessons from former professional soccer players." 

"So that's my fault?" Althea asked. 

"Hey there kiddo," Lt. Falcon, the Green Beret walked into the room. The handsome black haired, blue eyed soldier gave her a hug. "I heard you had a good game today!" 

"Yeah well no big deal," Althea shrugged. 

"Please," Shipwreck smiled. "You're a natural! Takes after her old man!"

"You can't even walk across the room without tripping over something!" Althea rolled her eyes. She then noticed her father sneaking a hand towards a plate of cookies. "NO COOKIES!" She smacked his hand. 

"Hey!" Shipwreck snapped. He stuck her tongue out at her. He looked at Falcon. "So what's up?" 

"We have a problem," Falcon said. "Somebody was trying to access Pentagon records. Very specific records on mutants." 

That made Althea take notice. "Do you have any leads?" She asked. She noticed Falcon's hesitation. "Oh come on! You might as well tell me! I mean this does affect me you know! Ever since the Bayville Incident I've been on edge." 

"We've tracked down the place where the perpetrator used to hack the files," Falcon said. "It's at this club called the Under 21."

"I've heard of it," Althea said. "It's a special club set up just for teenagers. A place where they can dance and hang out in a drug free environment." 

"We ought to check it out," Shipwreck said.

"Yeah right, you couldn't even get in the door," Althea told him. "No adults allowed unless they work there." 

"That's gonna be difficult," Falcon frowned. 

"Listen, the best chance we have of finding out is if I go and check," Althea said. "I mean I didn't get all that training and that special little commendation from Hawk so I could sit on the sidelines." 

Not long ago Althea had convinced Hawk and her father to let them train her for special missions. Mostly underwater work, since she could breathe underwater. She reasoned that it was much safer for her to do things like defuse bombs underwater than regular divers. Plus the fact that she had been trained by ninjas her entire life didn't hurt. Not to mention the fact that she was a very persuasive speaker. So Hawk managed to give her a special government clearance for low-level missions. 

"It's too dangerous!" Shipwreck huffed. 

"Look, I'll go in and out," Althea told him. "Simple." 

"No mission is simple!" Shipwreck spat.

"True," Falcon said. "But she is the best candidate for the job. Let's face it, if we go it will look suspicious!" 

"Yeah we can't exactly pass as teenagers anymore," Lady Jaye said. 

"Look all I have to do is go in, sneak in the back, find the computer area and use one of those little computer tracer things Mainframe cooked up a while back to see who downloaded what," Althea told them. "If anyone finds me I'll just tell them I like to play video games. Then I'm out of there. Easy! It's a rave. No one is going to notice me that much!" 

"She's got a point," Falcon said. "But we should provide some kind of back-up outside, just in case."

"Yesss!" Althea smiled.

"Noooo!" Shipwreck groaned. 

Meanwhile at the hotel the X-Men were staying at, Xavier called a meeting. "Kitty has been doing some intelligence gathering via the Internet. Kitty tell us what you discovered." 

"Well," Kitty looked over her notes. "First of all the guy who tried to hack into the Institute's files did so from this warehouse downtown. I got the address but not much else." She showed them the address.

"Hey I've heard about this place," Alex said. "It's an underground club for teens. They don't allow booze or drugs, but they also keep most adults out. They have raves every Friday."

"That means there's one tonight," Scott said. "Well it's a start. We'll put together a team and go tonight."

"Did you find anything interesting about Miss Delgato?" Xavier asked. 

"A few things," Kitty told them. "Mostly about her father. His name's Hector 'Shipwreck' Delgato. He used to be a mercenary that fought against terrorists years ago after he left the navy. Then he joined some elite terrorist unit and that's about it."

"What about her mom?" Rogue asked.

"Nothing on her, except a divorce file over a year ago," Kitty said. "Her name was blocked out or something." 

"You mean her mom's name isn't even on file?" Rogue asked. "That is weird." 

"There's something else I discovered," Kitty said. "I tried finding out more info on her…and get this, all her information is classified by the US Army. Top secret! Even her birth certificate!" 

"Why would the army cover up the identity of a fifteen year old girl?" Ororo asked, puzzled. 

"I'm afraid we're not going to like the answer," Xavier said. 

"What?" Scott asked. "You saying she's some kind of experiment or something?"

"It's possible," Xavier said. "But there's no way of finding out for sure. Yet." 

"What about Cerebro?" Jean asked. "You could always fly back and check her out." 

"I have thought of that," Xavier said. "It may be worth a try. For now the person who tried to break into the Institute's files is our top priority. Scott, Jean, Rogue, Kurt and Evan will go. Kitty I need you to help me with the computer back at the Institute."

"Ohhh," Kitty folded her arms in frustration. "I never go on the cool missions!" 

"Don't envy them too much Half-Pint," Logan grinned. "They ain't exactly gonna be there for pleasure. I tell you what, I'll let you have next weekend off from the Danger Room."

"Well in that case let's get going Professor!" Kitty bounced off. 

"Told you he likes her best," Evan grumbled. 

************************************************************************

That night the team went to the Under 21 club. "Well we're here," Kurt said. "Wow look at this place! I've never seen so many kids on a dance floor." They were all dressed in their dance clothes. 

Rogue looked. "Hey! Isn't that Althea over there?" 

"What's she doing here?" Scott asked.

"She's probably here to have a good time," Rogue said. "I mean not all of us here are on a mission."

"Apparently not Evan," Jean frowned and pointed. Evan was talking to a few girls. 

"Oh for crying out loud!" Scott groaned and went after him. 

"So what do we do now?" Kurt asked. 

"Maybe one of us should go over and talk to Althea," Rogue said. "We need to check out if she's one of us anyway." 

"You do that," Jean folded her arms. 

"Maybe this is a job for the fuzzy man," Kurt slicked back his hair. 

"Oh yeah I'm sure your girlfriend will love that," Rogue rolled her eyes. "I think I ought to do it. I think the two of us may have more in common by the looks of it." 

"You do that Rogue," Jean nodded. "Kurt you go with her. I'm gonna try and stop Scott from killing Evan." She took off. 

"Come on Rogue," Kurt said. "We have to make contact with the suspect."

"Kurt you have been watching way too many spy movies," Rogue rolled her eyes. 

"Hey we're on a spy mission to find out who hacked into Cerebro," Kurt said, clearly excited. "Plus we have a mysterious beautiful girl to track! This is better than any movie! Yeah baby!" 

"Oh lord," Rogue rolled her eyes. "Next you'll be telling me Dr. Evil will be watching our every move!" They went over to the table where the girl was, unaware that someone was actually monitoring them. 

"Well, well," A shadowy figure watched them on his monitor from the control room. "It looks like we have a few unexpected guests." 


	5. Enter the Ninja (Trainee)

**Enter the Ninja (Trainee)**

"So not only to the Joes send their little pet mermaid, but those pesky kids from Bayville show up as well," Zartan the Master of Disguise smirked. He turned to his sister Zarana. "I told you that one of them would show up. Our dear brother Zandar was too sloppy in his hacking." 

"Computers were never his specialty," She sniffed. "But I had no choice. I knew my skills weren't as good as his. You were gone at the time and I wasn't about to let one of the Dreadnoks do it!" 

She pointed at the motley lot of mercenaries behind her. The Dreadnoks were Zartan's personal mercenary army. Torch, Ripper, Buzzer, and Monkeywrench, big hairy bikers that would make the Hell's Angels run for their mommies. They had the personal hygiene of monkeys but weren't half as smart. The only manual dexterity they had besides pulling the triggers on weapons was picking their noses. 

"You do have a point," Zartan admitted. 

"So now what do we do boss?" Ripper asked. 

"Well Cobra did set up this club not only to hide some of it's less orthodox activities, but to see if we can find any mutants," Zartan said. "I say we found them." 

"But why can't we just grab 'em?" Torch asked. 

"Idiot," Zarana hit him on the head with a magazine. "We don't have the resources here to hold 'em, much less catch 'em!" 

"I have a better idea," Zartan smirked. "Why don't we see just what these 'X-Men' are capable of? And I know the perfect test subject to try them out on," He smiled at the image of Althea on the monitor. 

************************************************************************

Althea Delgato was sitting at a table in the back, trying not to draw attention to herself. She had only just got inside and was checking the place out. _Now if I can just find out where the back door is…_She thought to herself. 

Two teenagers walked over to her table. "Mind if we sit here?" The girl with brown and white hair asked. Her voice twanged with a Southern accent. 

"It's a free country," Althea shrugged. 

"Thank you," The black haired boy said. They sat opposite her. "Do you come here often?" He asked in a German accent.

"Do you always hit on girls when you're already out on a date?" Althea asked.

"Oh no, we're just friends," The girl said. "I'm Rogue and this is Kurt. We're kinda new in town."

"Really?" Althea's instincts kicked into gear. "Rogue huh? Were your parents hippies or something?"

"Uh something," Rogue blinked. "We saw you at the game today. You're Althea right?" 

"Yeah," Althea nodded. "So where are you guys from?"

"Well we go to school in Bay…" Kurt started.

"New York," Rogue finished quickly. Something told her that it wouldn't be a good idea to talk too much. "So you go to school here?"

"For now," Althea said. "It's not too bad. My dad's in the military so I travel all over the world with him." 

"That must be nice," Kurt said. "Have you ever been to Germany?" 

"No but I have been to a lot of other places," She said. _Okay who are these guys and why are they so interested in me? Most times only guys talk to girls they are interested in places like this. Couples don't just go chatting with a stranger unless they want something! _

"So are you guys here on your own?" Althea asked.

"No we're with a group of students," Kurt said. "Our school came here for the soccer championships." 

"Oh really?" Althea looked around and saw Jean and a boy with red sunglasses looking her way. _Uh oh…I think I get it now. Red wants a little revenge for the game!_

"Uh if you'll excuse me," Althea said. "I think I just need to use the ladies room, be right back!" She took off. 

"Hey isn't the ladies room in the other direction?" Rogue said. "Oh great, she must have spooked or something!" 

"We'd better get the others," Kurt said. 

"I'll get them," Rogue told him. "You sneak into the boy's room and see if you can port around and find the computer room."

"Right, that's the main objective," Kurt nodded and did so.

Meanwhile Althea had snuck in the backroom without complications. Her hidden communicator crackled. She turned it on. "Hey will you keep it down?" She snapped. "Two minutes earlier and you would have blown my cover!"

"Sorry," Falcon said. "But I promised your old man that I'd keep an eye on you." 

"Will you relax?" Althea hissed into her communicator. "I am a ninja after all!"

"You're a ninja in training," Falcon reminded her.

"Look I can still take on the bad guys so don't sweat it!" Althea said. "I've packed a few surprises in my jacket and boot just in case. I'm going to find the computer room. I'll be out soon. Over and out!" 

She headed through the corridors, encountering no resistance. She found the door and opened it. "Jackpot," She nodded locating one of the computers. She took out a special disk created to store information that had been transferred. She worked on the computer. "Phew! What smells in here?" She muttered.

Hiding behind a couple of crates Kurt had only teleported in a few seconds ago. He kept himself hidden. He watched her download some files from the computer. "Soon this will tell me everything I need to know," She said to herself. "Can't believe how lousy security is in this place." 

Kurt realized that he needed to get in touch with the X-Men fast. Having no choice, he teleported out. "What was that?" Althea ran over where she heard the sound but found only smoke. "Man what is it about this place? Hey what's that…?"

She bent down and saw that the crates were covered by a tarp. She lifted it and to her shock found the Cobra insignia. "I knew it!" Althea spat. "I'd better go while the getting is good." She went back to the computer. "Still downloading? Come on, come on!" A minute ticked by. Then two. Finally the disk finished downloading. "About time," She snapped as she put the disk in a special pocket. 

Just then Scott and the other X-Men ran into the door. 

"Is this the meeting of the Computer Lover's Anonymous?" Althea said the first thing that came into her mind. Then she saw Jean. "YOU? What are you doing here?" 

"Look Althea we wanna have a talk with you," Jean said. 

"I'll bet you do," Althea spat. "Couldn't stand a blow to your pride so you got your freak friends to gang up on me?" 

"That's not why we're here!" Jean said.

"Oh then why are you and your friends stalking me?" Althea asked. 

"Hey we know what you are!" Evan blurted out.

"Oh and what exactly is that?" Althea raised an eyebrow.

"Uh…" Evan gulped.

"Smooth move Evan," Kurt rolled his eyes. 

Scott told her "Look we know you have that disk and we want it! You'd better give it to us. We don't want any trouble."

"Fine," Althea shrugged reaching into her jacket pocket. "Neither do I."

What she pulled out instead was a smoke bomb and threw it at their feet. By the time they recovered, she was out the door. "She's getting away!" Scott said. "After her!" 

They went downstairs into the club. "I can't find her!" Jean said. "Too many minds to pinpoint her!"

A man walked up to them. "Hey are you looking for a girl with long black hair and blue streaks?"

"Did you see where she went?" Jean asked.

"Right out the back door," He pointed. "She's probably went towards the abandoned warehouse on the docks. You'd better get her. No telling what kind of unsavory characters are out there." 

"Thanks we will," Scott nodded. They went after her. 

Zartan chuckled to himself. "Well this is turning out to be interesting. Got to get back to the control room. This should be quite a show."

Meanwhile outside the club, Logan was sniffing around. "Find anything?" Ororo asked on her communicator. 

" No, I'm going to check out the perimeter," Logan said. "Logan out."

Not too far away two figures were in a jeep. "It's too quiet," Lady Jaye said. "She should have called in by now." 

"Something fishy is going on," Falcon said. "I'm gonna check out the perimeter." He took off leaving her to watch the front of the club. 

Meanwhile not too far from the club was a warehouse and pier. Althea was hiding among the numerous boxes trying to call in. 

"Althea to Falcon, come in Falcon," Althea called on her communicator. "Come on where are you? I've been compromised! Oh great! Busted!" She spat. "Guess I'll have to…what the…?" She saw the group of teenagers from the club. Only now they were wearing uniforms. "When did they have time to change their clothes?" She muttered to herself. 

"She's around here somewhere," Scott said. "Split up." 

_Great! _Althea thought. _Some kind of military unit. Now I know Cobra's involved! No way I can take 'em all on head on. But maybe I don't have to…_She grinned as a plan formed in her mind. 

Scott and Rogue searched one area. "There!" Rogue saw something. It looked like her jacket. "I got her!" She tackled it, only to find it was just her jacket hanging on a piece of wood. "Huh?" 

"Surprise!" Althea shouted as she threw two capsules at their feet. Before they knew it a gas surrounded them. 

"It's some kind of…" Scott sputtered before he fell into unconsciousness. Rogue lay next to him. 

"Two down, three to go," Althea nodded as she put on her jacket again. "Whoa!" She dodged something sharp. "What the heck…?" She turned around.

"Guys she's here!" Evan shouted into his communicator. "She's taken out Cyclops and Rogue! I'll try to pin her down!" He shot more spikes at her.

Althea dodged them using several flips. "Pretty cool trick! Let's see how well you do!" She tossed some throwing stars at him. Two of them pinned his uniform to a crate, trapping him. 

"Uh oh," Evan gulped as he saw her coming towards him. With a flying kick her foot connected with his jaw and he was knocked out cold. 

"Though so," Althea panted. "Can't take his own medicine." Some strange sound caught her ear and before she knew what had happened some furry arms was holding on to her. 

"Gotcha!" Kurt shouted. "Whoa!" He yelped as he was thrown off. He teleported and landed beside her. He tried to kick her but she grabbed his leg. 

"Got you," Althea said as she flung him around. She tossed him into some crates. Kurt barely had time to teleport away from her next attack. "Okay you little…whatever you are where are you?" 

"Right here!" Kurt ported on top of her. He intended to pin her to the ground. Unfortunately she managed to turn the tables and pin him down. A swift fist knocked him out cold. 

"Not bad for amateurs," She muttered as she stood up. She looked at the mutant below her feet. 

__

Hey, Althea thought. _I recognize these uniforms! These are the same nuts that were fighting that robot in Bayville months ago! These morons are the ones who exposed mutants to the world! What are they…? WHO'S IN MY HEAD? GET OUT OF MY MIND YOU CREEP!_

Jean felt herself being pushed out of her thoughts violently. It happened so fast her vision blurred. She got her bearings back just in time to dodge a sharp shuriken. 

"YOU?" Althea shouted. "I recognize that uniform! You are one of those morons from Bayville! Way to go Red! Why didn't you just take out an ad saying 'Hey World! Look at us! We're Mutants?"

"Hey you don't know what happened!" Jean shot out. "How did you do that?"

"A little trick my ninja master taught me," Althea said. "Keeps nosy telepaths out! Now I know who tried to hack into my file!" 

"Are you a mutant too?" Jean asked.

"That's for me to know and you not to find out!" Althea shouted as she tossed her final gas bomb at her. 

"Oh no you don't!" Jean shot the gas bomb right back so it exploded around Althea. To her surprise Althea walked out unscathed. 

"Here's a tip Red," Althea said. "Always inject yourself with the antidote for your sleep bombs in case of emergencies!" With a scream she lunged herself at her. 

And stopped in mid air. "What?" Althea struggled to free herself but couldn't. "Oh great!" 

"And here's a tip for you," Jean smirked. "Never directly attack a telekinetic!" 

Althea grunted. "So that's how you got that goal! I knew it! I knew there was no way an amateur like you could make a shot like that for real!" 

Althea pulled several throwing stars and threw them at a net filled with boxes over Jean's head. The net was cut loose and the boxes fell on top of Jean, who was forced to release Althea from her hold. Jean lay there unconscious. "Final tip," Althea said. "Always watch where you're standing." 

Althea stormed over to a groggy Kurt and grabbed him by the throat. "Okay furball," She growled. "What does Cobra want with those files on mutants? Talk before I rip your tail off and stuff it down your throat!" 

"Vas is Cobra…?" Kurt gasped. "I don't know anything about it! I swear!" 

"You wouldn't be lying to me now would you?" Althea pulled out her knife hidden in her boot. She had an evil look on her face as she waved it under Kurt's nose. 

"Nein," Kurt gulped. "We…we don't know anything about this Cobra." 

"Then what are you doing here?" She snapped. "Speak up before I turn you into a rug!" 

"We wanted to find out about you," Kurt gasped. "To see if you were a mutant and join us!"

"Join…?" Althea looked at him. "You mean you clods are simply recruiters for some kind of freak gang? You seriously need to work on your sales pitch."

"I think you have a point," Kurt gulped, eyeing the sharp blade. 

"I don't have time for this," Althea snapped. "If you're not with Cobra then you're just wasting my time. If I ever see you twerps around here again, we'll finish this! And I won't go so easy on you like I did this time!" She tossed Kurt to the side like a rag doll and took off. She dove into the water. 

"Jean," Kurt stumbled over to her and started pulling away the boxes. "Jean are you all right?"

"I'll let you know as soon as this freight train stops running through my head," Jean moaned. "Where'd she go?"

"Don't know," Kurt said. "She just swam off." 

"Did you find out anything about her?" Jean asked. 

"You don't want to know," Kurt grumbled. "Let's just say if she is a mutant, she is definitely not interested." 

Meanwhile Zartan laughed at them all from the safety of the control room. "You owe me twenty dollars Torch," He sniggered. "I told you she could take them out."

"Amazing," Zarana looked at the screen. "And she didn't even use her powers. Too bad she got away with the disk though." 

"A mere casualty of war," Zartan shrugged. "I think Cobra Commander will be most pleased at the information we bring him. Yes, I think there will be some very interesting plans for the X-Men in the near future." 

************************************************************************

Several hours later they were back at the Institute. "We tried to find her, but she got away," Scott said. 

"I don't know if she's a mutant or not but she is definitely a very good fighter," Kurt said. "My body still hurts from the pounding she gave me." 

"Yeah she took us all on and we got creamed," Rogue grumbled. 

"Hey it's not our fault!" Evan snapped. "She had all these ninja gizmos. Gas, throwing stars…the works!" 

"Evan as X-Men we're supposed to be ready for anything," Scott told him. 

"Well we certainly weren't ready for her," Jean grumbled. 

"Did you run into any resistance Logan?" Xavier asked.

"Well let's just say there's one guy that lived to tell a very interesting story," Logan chuckled. "But she obviously had help. Did you find anything about her Chuck?"

"No," Xavier frowned. "In fact, according to Cerebro…she doesn't even exist."

"What you think that may be part of her powers?" Scott asked. 

"No," Xavier said. "I believe that something was blocking her from Cerebro's scanners. She may have some kind of electronic apparatus on her that keeps her hidden from mutant scanners."

"Hey!" Kitty said. "Maybe it was that shell necklace she was wearing! I mean she wears it all the time and it looked metallic." 

"It's possible," Xavier folded his fingers. "But we may never know." 

************************************************************************

"Well thank you all so very much," Althea stormed into the Joe's office, dripping wet and blue from her exposure to salt water. "Where the heck were you guys?"

Falcon held up his sliced rifle. "Let's just say I ran into some opposition." 

"Yeah well here's the file," Althea took it out of her waterproof pocket. "Think you can make heads or tails out of this Mainframe?" 

"No sweat," Mainframe, the GI Joe Computer specialist went to work. "Just give me a minute to work my magic!" 

"I ran into a little 'opposition' myself," Althea told them. "Mutants. They aren't with Cobra though. Seems to be a group acting on their own looking for new recruits." 

"Here we are," Mainframe brought up the information on the computer. "It's official. It's Cobra all right. And from the looks of it, we weren't the only ones that got hacked into."

"Can you find out what other information they got?" Lady Jaye asked.

"Some of it," Mainframe said. "Just let me work some more magic." 

"Well it's pretty easy to guess what Cobra's after," Falcon said. He unconsciously looked at Althea. 

"Mutants," She said, her eyes narrowing. 

"That's it!" Shipwreck threw up his hands. "I'm taking you out of that school and you are going back to being tutored on the base!"

"But Pop," Althea started. 

"No but's young lady!" Shipwreck said. "We are going back to the Pit in a few weeks anyway! I am not going to take any more chances with your safety! Understand?" 

"Fine," Althea huffed. "It's not like I have any friends there or anything." 

"Here's the report," Mainframe brought up the information on the monitor. "They're called the X-Men. According to the data they are a group of teenage mutants that are self-proclaimed 'protectors of mutants and humans alike'."

"Terrific," Falcon rolled his eyes. "Just what the world needs, teenage vigilantes with super powers." 

"They go to this school run by a Charles Xavier," Lady Jaye continued. "Intelligence believes he's some sort of telepath. Oh and look where this school is located."

"Bayville," Falcon shook his head. "Why am I not surprised? Hawk is gonna love this." 

"The X-Men huh?" Althea looked at the screen again. "Why do I have the feeling that this isn't gonna be the last I hear of them?"

**Next chapter: The Joes are assigned to infiltrate Bayville High and spy on the X-Men and the Brotherhood! Trouble is, Cobra wants them for their own purposes as well. Find out who's going undercover and as what! **


	6. The New Players

**I start this chapter with thanks to Ryoken who helped me out a little with this. **

**The New Players**

Far from Bayville, unknown to both the X-Men and the Brotherhood two other groups were interested in the newly exposed mutant population. More specifically the population in Bayville. The first group was a semi-secret anti-terrorist force codenamed GI Joe. Their leader, General Hawk was giving his team the rundown on the two groups of mutants in Bayville. 

"And that is the run down," Hawk finished his presentation. "Our orders are to watch the Bayville mutants and report on their activities." 

"As fascinating as all this is,"A bald Marine with a huge tattoo on his bare chest spoke up. "What does this have to do with us? I mean aren't we supposed to fight Cobra? Not mutants."

"I'm getting to that, Gung Ho," Hawk said. "In the first place GI Joe was created to handle all sorts of terrorism. Not just Cobra, although I admit they do tend to take up most of our time. I'd say Magneto qualifies as a terrorist."

"Yeah but why are we watching the X-Men too?" Alpine, the mountaineering specialist asked. "Aren't they supposed to be the good guys?" 

"They're just kids," Jinx the ninja added.

"So are the Brotherhood," Falcon reminded her. "Well most of them anyway." 

"That's part of the assignment," Hawk said. "We're to watch out for them and try to make sure they don't do as much damage as they have in the past." 

"Oh that ought to be fun," Alpine groaned. "And how are we gonna do that?" 

"I didn't say it was going to be easy," Hawk said. "Look, there is a real possibility that this could be a breeding ground for genetic warfare. Up until now the Pentagon has thought it wise not to expose mutants to the public for obvious reasons. The greatest is that there are those that will see mutants as weapons of destruction and power instead of people. They will use whatever means necessary to use mutants to their own advantage."

"Like Cobra?" Gung Ho asked.

"Bingo!" Hawk nodded. "We have reason to believe that Cobra is going to try and get these kids for their own purposes. That's why we're setting up an undercover team to infiltrate the high school and keep an eye on things." 

"High School?" Bazooka the mustached Joe popped his bubble gum. "I barely graduated high school! I don't wanna take those tests again!" 

"He means we're gonna be posing as teachers bubble brain," Alpine groaned. 

"Here's the list of who I'm sending in for now," Hawk gave them their briefing papers. "If needed we'll send in extra help." 

**Operation: Genesis **

Codename: Lt. Falcon

Description: Green Beret. In charge of the operation.

Real name: Vincent Falcone

Assignment: Gym Teacher

"Oh goody," Falcon sighed. "I get to bounce basketballs all day!" 

****

Codename: Mainframe

Description: Computer specialist. 

Real Name: Blaine Parker

Assignment: Computer Class Instructor. 

"Makes sense," Mainframe nodded. "I can even use the computers in class to help us with our intelligence gathering activities. Not to mention keep up on my computer gaming skills." 

****

Codename: Jinx

Description: Ninja/Intelligence specialist.

Real Name:????

Assignment: English Teacher

"You know you are going to have to tell me your name sometime," Falcon said. 

"Stow it Falcon," She snapped. "I'll tell you as soon as you grow up!" 

"Let me guess, you two are on the outs again," Alpine groaned. 

"I've seen rock bands break up fewer times than those two," Gung Ho said. 

****

Codename: Gung Ho

Description: Marine 

Real Name: Ettienne LaFitte

Assignment: Home Economics Instructor

"You have **got **to be kidding me?" Gung Ho shouted. 

****

"Give me a break," Hawk groaned. "It's all I could get!" 

"What a stupid job," Alpine roared. 

"Shut up!" Gung Ho snapped. "Or else!" 

"Or else what?" Alpine asked. "You gonna throw muffins at me?" 

****

Codename: Alpine

Description: Mountain Trouper/Wilderness specialist

Real Name: Al Pine (Believe it or not.) 

Assignment: Security guard

"Now who has the stupid job?" Gung Ho chuckled. 

"What do you need a mountain expert for?" Alpine asked. "Can't you send someone else?" 

"Everyone else has other assignments," Hawk told him. "And you did just get your black belt. Besides, we need you to keep an eye on Bazooka." 

****

Codename: Bazooka

Description: Missile Specialist

Real Name: David Kasnerbogen

Assignment: Education Service Professional: Maintenance 

"What am I again?" Bazooka asked.

"You're the janitor bubble gum brain!" Alpine told him. "Hey why do we need a missile specialist on this mission anyway?"

"Let's just say I want to be prepared and leave it at that," Hawk told him. 

"I have a question," Alpine asked. "As I understand it, there's at least 2 telepaths involved. How do we keep them from reading out minds and finding out what's going on?"

"We've been working on that," Hawk held up something that looked like a flesh colored Band-Aid. "This device helps shield a person from telepathic probing. Just place it near the temple and it will blend in with a little makeup. However it's never been tested in the field. At least by us. We did 'borrow' this technology from Cobra so it should work pretty well. Unfortunately Cobra has this device as well." 

"Does anyone else know about us?" Jinx asked. 

"Yes," Falcon said. "We do have a contact inside the school. But I can't say his name right now. It's classified. Only myself and Hawk know." 

"Is it the principal?" Alpine asked.

"Of course not!" Hawk shook his head. "The man's already a basket case. He doesn't need to know about this! It'll push him over the edge. Get packed. You all have your assignments as well as additional information. There are even some lesson plans in there for you to work on. The first day of school is in two days. Be ready."

"Oh for crying out loud Hawk it's high school," Falcon smirked. "How hard could it be?"

"You have obviously never been a teacher before," Hawk smirked back and laughed. 

************************************************************************ 

Further away on a remote island another meeting was being held. "We have a chance for unlimited power!" Cobra Commander finished briefing his officers. "We must not allow this chance to get away!"

"I agree," The Baroness, a dark haired woman with glasses and a European accent nodded. "Such individuals can give Cobra the edge in our cause."

"That is why I have arranged for some of you to go undercover at Bayville High," Cobra Commander said. "The Baroness and I have put together a team. Here are your assignments." 

****

Operation: Get Those Mutants Anyway Possible! 

****

Codename: The Baroness

Description: Military Intelligence/ Team Leader

Real Name: I'm not going to tell you. If I did I'd have to shoot you. 

Alias: Ms. Baron

Assignment: History Teacher

"Let's get rid of the 'Real Name' category!" Baroness snapped. "None of us uses our real names anyway!" 

"Oh all right," Cobra Commander sighed. 

****

Codename: Zartan

Alias: Mr. Tanzar

Description: Master of Disguise/Espionage Agent/Ninja/Mercenary

Assignment: Chemistry Teacher.

"You expect me to work under her?" Zartan snapped. It was a well-known fact that The Baroness and Zartan hated each other. The Baroness considered Zartan and his motley bunch a group of uncontrollable mercenary scum with no loyalty to the cause. Zartan considered her a self absorbed, stuck up slut who only got her position in Cobra by sleeping with Destro, the number two man in Cobra's organization. Both were pretty accurate about their assumptions of each other. 

"I'm not that crazy about this myself," Baroness snapped. "But there are other missions that Cobra must attend to. We can't afford to put all our eggs in one basket. The mutants are important, but there are other priorities. To put it simply, we don't have enough manpower not to use you at the moment."

"Yes take a note," Cobra Commander spoke to his secretary. "Discuss new recruitment strategies at next monthly meeting." 

****

Codename: Zarana

Alias: Ms. Rafael

Description: Expert Espionage agent/Martial Arts Expert/Mercenary

Assignment: Gym Teacher

"Wait," Zarana said. "Isn't one of the Joes gonna be a gym teacher?"

"Yes," Cobra Commander told her. "Bayville needs both a male and female gym instructor. You're the female one." 

"How did you find out about the Joe's strategy may I ask?" Zartan asked.

"Oh let's just say a little bug told me," Cobra Commander grinned underneath his hood. 

****

Codename: Zandar

Alias: Mr. Rafael

Description: Espionage Agent/Weapons Expert/Marital Arts Expert/Weapons Expert

Assignment: Art Teacher

"The old brother-sister act," Zandar sighed. "Why am I not surprised?" 

"Oh quit whining," Zartan snapped at his younger brother. "She is your twin after all. And you are going to be paid so don't complain!"

"Oh well," Zandar sighed. "How bad could art class be?" 

****

Codename: Monkeywrench

Alias: Mr. Wrench

Description: Explosives Expert/Biker/Mercenary

Assignment: Education Service Professional 

"What does that mean?" Monkeywrench asked. 

"Um," Cobra Commander hesitated. "You'll find out when you get there. Let's just say that being the only Dreadnok who knows how to read directions has gotten you into a very good position where you can watch the students and get to know them individually. Plus you get out early everyday from school." 

"Oh that doesn't sound so bad," He shrugged. 

"To ensure that one of the telepaths does not read your mind Dr. Mindbender has come up with these telepathic blocking devices," Cobra Commander showed them the device. "The Baroness will show you how they work later." 

"I don't see the necessity. There's not that much of the Dreadnoks' minds to read in the first place," The Baroness sniggered into Destro's ear. 

"Hey!" Zarana bristled. "You take that back!" 

"Make me!" Baroness hissed.

"Oh that will be a pleasure!" Zarana shouted as she threw the first punch. Soon the women were brawling on the table.

"Catfight! Catfight!" Monkeywrench shouted. 

"Ten bucks on Zarana!" Zartan shouted.

"The Baroness is worth at least a hundred!" Destro shouted. 

"Oh so that's how much you pay her every night," Zartan sneered. For this Destro gave him a punch in the jaw and they started brawling. The remaining Dreadnoks cheered and started betting amongst themselves. 

"SHUT UP!" Cobra Commander took his gun and fired it at the ceiling. Everyone stopped. "As entertaining as it is to watch you buffoons beat the stuffing out of each other, we have work to do! Now sit down and shut up!" They did so. "Now where were we?"

"What do the rest of us Dreadnoks do?" Torch asked. 

"I'm afraid the rest of you will be stationed on the outskirts of town," Baroness said. "You will be needed in the second stage of the operation when we actually make a move to capture some of the mutants." 

"Yeah not all of you are as intellectually gifted as I am," Monkeywrench snickered. 

"If you're intellectually gifted, then I'm Miss Bloody America!" Ripper snapped. 

"Oh yeah!" Monkeywrench shouted. 

"Yeah!" Ripper snapped. Soon they were brawling.

This time however Cobra Commander ignored them. "Oh yes, Baroness you were telling me you had a possible informant."

"Let's just say I have a person at the school who's only too happy to work against mutants," Baroness laughed. 

"Interesting," Zartan smiled. "I've also placed an informant at Bayville High as well." 

"What?" The Baroness whirled on him. "Who?"

"I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours," Zartan smirked. 

"So you're telling me we're gonna have two informants at the school?" Zarana smiled. "Not bad. One of them ain't this Principal Kelly is it?"

"Are you insane?" Baroness spat out laughing. "The man is an utter moron! I once said that Hector Ramerez the TV reporter was the stupidest male I have ever met. Well I think Principal Kelly can give him a good run for the title!" 

"Speaking of stupid," Cobra Commander turned his attention to the Dreadnok brawl. "Zartan do you think you should interrupt this?"

"OWWW!" Monkeywrench screamed. "Stop pulling my hair! Take this!"

"YEOWW!" Ripper screamed. "You stepped on my bloody foot! Take that!" 

"Fiver on Ripper," Torch said.

"You're on," Buzzer said. 

"No," Zartan said. "Let the boys have a little fun to occupy their tiny little minds while we plan the more important strategies." 

"Oh all right," Cobra Commander said. "Oh and put me down for ten bucks on Ripper please." 

**So what will happen on the first day of school for GI Joe and Cobra? Who is the Joes' informant? Who are Cobra's two informants? What is Monkeywrench's job going to be? Will Kelly ever figure out that his school is a hot bed for conspiracies? Stay tuned! **


	7. Welcome to Bayville High

****

Here we go folks! Let the Kelly torture commence! (As well as a few of the 'teachers'!) 

**Welcome To Bayville High! **

For the first time in months Principal Edward Kelly felt that things were finally going his way. Just one week earlier, several teachers had quit or disappeared for various reasons. He had no idea what to do and just when he had decided to make a run for it himself the miracle happened. Not one, but two different teacher placement agencies had called him asking him if there were any openings. He was only too happy to take them both up on the offer, even though he had never even heard of teacher placement agencies. 

All of them seemed bright and capable. In fact several of them had some type of military training and knew each other. Even when Kelly had warned them of the possibility that mutants may be in his school none of them flinched. In fact, some of them seemed a little eager to find them. 

He breathed a sigh of relief, ever since he had arrived at Bayville strange things had happened to him. Some of them nearly got him killed. But ever since that fateful day he had an explanation. Mutants. It must have been a mutant that the students used to see in the boy's bathroom. Mutants caused the monsters at the Sadie Hawkins dance. Mutants destroyed the mall. It was mutants that were running amok and causing damage in the town. In fact, one of his own teachers had turned out to be a mutant and nearly killed him.

But ever since the incident with the giant robot several months ago things had become quiet. There hadn't even been a single demon sighting in months. Oh sure there were still occasional unexplained earthquakes, but he was sure that not even mutants could cause those. And of course the odd antics of the students from the Institute and the gang that called themselves the Brotherhood. But now he was positive that with exposure most, if not all of the mutants were gone. In fact he had seen for himself on national TV that many of them were captured. They couldn't have escaped that quickly! 

Okay maybe one or two might still be at large and even possibly hiding in his own school system. That thought still unnerved him. It was the unknown of who those mutants were and what they could do that made him very nervous. Whoever they were, they were certainly keeping a low profile. 

No, most of them must have been captured during that day. He remembered that several students had also transferred during the past few months. More students had left the school than remained. Yes the mutants must be gone. If only there was a way he was sure.

His thoughts were interrupted when he saw the new security guard, Mr. Pine walk by. "Morning Principal Kelly!" The genial black man's eyes sparkled behind his glasses. "How are you doing?" 

"Fine," Kelly smiled. "All quiet today?"

"Not even a smoker," Mr. Pine chuckled. However he spoke too soon. A slight tremor shook the building, then stopped. 

"Not another earthquake!" Kelly groaned. 

"Oh don't worry," Mr. Pine smiled. "I'm used to earthquakes. In fact, they're kind of a hobby of mine. I've been theorizing that these tremors aren't exactly caused by a nearby earthquake, but are aftereffects of that earthquake in Canada a year ago. " 

"Really?" Kelly was interested. Finally, something that wasn't caused by mutants!

"Of course I'm not sure," Mr. Pine shrugged. "More research needs to be done. But I'll see what I can dig up on my spare time. I have a few friends in the geology department in Washington. I wouldn't worry about them too much if I were you." 

Kelly smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. "Mr. Pine, I think you'll fit right in at this school." 

KABOOM!

"Oh no!" Kelly swore under his breath as they raced to the sound of the explosion. They saw the new janitor wobble out of the boys' bathroom. 

"I'm okay," He said in a dazed voice. "Just a cherry bomb that got stuck down the toilet. No problem. Just gotta clean it up." 

"Darn kids and their cherry bombs," Mr. Pine shook his head. "I heard there's been an illegal firecracker ring hitting all the schools." 

"I never heard anything about it," Kelly frowned.

"Oh yeah it's been on the news for weeks now," Mr. Pine said. "It was on…uh what news show do you watch?"

"Channel 4," Kelly said. "And Five, Six, and Seven. I like to flip back and forth through the channels." 

"How about Channel Ten?" 

"Sometimes Channel Ten." 

"Do you ever watch the New England News station on cable?" Mr. Pine asked. 

"Actually no," Kelly scratched his head. 

"That's the one!" Mr. Pine said. "Oh yeah. It's a real nuisance. But I have a couple of leads, so I'll investigate that." He took off.

"Well I certainly feel safer now that Mr. Pine is on the job," Kelly breathed. He looked at the janitor. "Are you all right Mr. Kaznerbogen?" 

"Oh call me Bazooka Dave," The man waved. "No problem. Just hit my head! Well back to work!" He went back inside whistling. 

Curious, Kelly followed him and saw that the entire bathroom was covered in wire and plaster. "What are you doing?" Kelly asked.

"Well I'm not installing listening devices for spying if that's what you're thinking," Bazooka Dave said quickly. 

"I wasn't thinking that," Kelly looked around.

"Good," Bazooka Dave nodded. "Cause these pipes have a lot of problems! Oh yeah! Lots of problems! Gotta get back to work!" He shoved Kelly out the door. Then he put up an 'Out of Order' sign. 

"And here I was just hoping he'd just clean the place out," Kelly walked away. He came upon the new English teacher's room. "I wonder how Ms. Ark is doing?" He opened the door and looked inside.

"Welcome Principal Kelly," Ms. Ark, the lovely woman of Japanese descent was sitting at her desk. She was also wearing a blindfold as well as half the class. 

"How did you…?" Kelly asked.

"Aftershave," She tapped her nose. "I'm teaching my students to rely on their other senses when writing poetry. Mr. Daniels please put your blindfold back on! And don't even think about throwing that paper airplane! This is not naptime Mr. Drake! Pay attention!" 

"Man how does she do that?" Evan asked. 

"I've heard of teachers having eyes in the back of their heads but this is ridiculous," Bobby groaned. 

"Well it seems that you have everything under control," Kelly was truly impressed. "I'll be on my way." 

"Thank you Mr. Kelly," She nodded. "Oh uh…by the way, your shoelace is untied." 

"Kelly looked down. "Okay now that is just plain creepy," He muttered as he went outside. 

Not far away was the art class. Kelly walked by confident that everything was all right. Lucky for him he didn't look inside.

"Tabitha Smith stop painting the walls!" Mr. Rafael shouted. "Ray! Roberto! Stop throwing clay at each other! Stop it! Stop it! OW! Who threw that? Hey you! Don't put the paintbrushes in your mouth! What are **you **doing? Are you eating glue? What is this kindergarten? Hey! NO RUNNING WITH SCISSORS! All right who drew this? Oh very mature! This one's even worse! This isn't Playgirl people! Those two people in this picture better not be doing what I think they're doing! No! Tabitha! Stop! Okay how did that fire start? Don't throw paint on it! Watch where you're aiming that fire extinguisher! AGGGGHHHH!" 

Later that morning in U.S. History Ms. Baron began to lecture her class. "For the last time Lance Alvers no I was not alive during the Civil War! And I am not related to Dracula!"

"Could have fooled me," Lance snickered.

"Just open your notebooks and take the stupid notes!" Ms. Baron shouted.

"But I can't take notes. I ain't got no pencils," Fred told her.

"Frederick," Ms. Baron was starting to get very tense. "You mean I don't have any pencils. You don't have any pencils! We don't have any pencils! They don't have any pencils! Do you see what I am getting at?" 

"Not really," Fred scratched his head. "What happened to all the pencils?" 

That was when Ms. Baron starting banging her head on the chalkboard. 

************************************************************************

"It's torture making us have Home Ec before lunch," Kitty groaned. "I just hope this new teacher is nice."

"I just hope this new teacher has an iron stomach," Pietro snickered. As fate would have it Kitty and Rogue were in the same classroom with Remy, Lance and Pietro. 

"Just what are you doing here?" Rogue snapped. "I know why these two bozos joined this class!" She grimaced when she saw Lance and Kitty flirting. "But why are you here?" 

"Why Rogue that is a sexist remark," Pietro raised his eyebrows. "Besides all the ladies love a man that can cook! I make the most exquisite desserts! You should come over and try it some time!" 

"Hey stay away from my girl!" Remy huffed. 

"Your girl?" Pietro snickered. "I thought she was mine!"

"God why do you hate me?" Rogue raised her eyes to the heavens.

"Oh don't take it so personal Remy," Lance waved. "Pietro flirts with every girl he sees."

"Well can I help it if the ladies love me?" He winked at Kitty.

"Ugh! Get a clue loser!" Kitty folded her arms.

"Hey!" Lance growled at Pietro. 

"Now who's taking it personally?" Remy snickered. 

"Quiet you two the teacher's coming," Rogue said. A huge bald man with a small black moustache walked in. "Or Home Ec teacher's a guy?"

"Either that or she's taken a lot of steroids," Lance whispered. 

"Good afternoon," The man spoke with a Cajun accent. "My name's Mr. LaFitte and I will be your Home Economics instructor. Let me tell you a little about myself. I am from New Orleans…" 

"Wait a minute," Remy raised an eyebrow. "You from New Orleans too?"

"Born and raised," Mr. LaFitte nodded.

"You wouldn't happen to know a Charles LaFitte who runs a little café on Baker Street?" Remy asked.

"Know him?" He laughed. "He's my cousin!" 

"I don't believe it!" Remy slapped his thigh. "He the one who married my cousin's best friend's niece!"

"You know Stephania?" Mr. LaFitte said in surprise. "No way! She's only the best cook next to my grand-mere this side of the Mississippi! How's she doing?" 

"Last I heard she just had another pair of twins." 

"No!" 

The class watched in surprise as the two of them quickly started reminiscing in French. "Gee and here I thought this class was gonna be dull," Rogue said. 

"Boy talk about your small worlds," Kitty blinked.

"Terrific," Lance muttered under his breath. "We're gonna spend the entire semester learning gumbo recipes." 

"At least we know who's gonna be teacher's pet," Pietro laughed. 

Finally lunch arrived. Ms. Baron walked over to Mr. Tanzar. "They stick you with lunch duty too?" He asked her.

"Yes," She grimaced as she watched the students. "It's like watching feeding time at the zoo. Only the animals there are more civilized!" 

"Hey!" Fred shouted at the cafeteria worker. "Don't use a plate! Just pile on the food man! And don't stop until I tell you." 

Mr. Wrench stood there in an apron wearing a hairnet. "I don't bloody believe this," he grumbled as he put food on Fred's tray. "I don't bloody believe this! I'm gonna kill 'em! I'm gonna kill 'em!" 


	8. More Classroom Chaos

**More Classroom Chaos**

After lunch, Lance and Kitty found themselves in Chemistry. "How are you holding up?" She asked him.

"Okay I guess," Lance shrugged. "I mean ever since Blob lost it, Mystique's been a little…gun shy lately. Magneto didn't exactly come down hard on Blob. I mean she did kill Toad after all."

"I thought both of them did it?" Kitty asked.

"No," Lance looked at her funny. "Mystique did. Magneto had nothing to do with it."

Kitty was about to comment further when the new chemistry teacher walked into the room. "Good afternoon class," He was tall and had short blonde hair. "I'm Mr. Tanzar your new teacher." 

"Whoa he's cute," One girl giggled. 

"Thank you," He smiled. "Now I want you to take your books…and throw them out the window."

"Did I just hear him say what I think he said?" Lance blinked.

"Yes you did," Mr. Tanzar told him. "These Chemistry books are full of nothing but basic theories anyway. We are going to learn by doing! Not reading! I always said experience was the best teacher so just toss those books out the window right now! Think of it as an exercise in gravity!" 

"You know I thought McCoy was fun," Lance laughed. "This guy's even better."

Meanwhile underneath that very window. "But why do you need to dig a hole that wide there?" Kelly was asking the janitor. 

"Uh…Plumbing stuff," Bazooka Dave told him looking up from the hole. "It's not like I'm burying any top secret defenses or anything." 

"But…" Kelly began to say. That is until several books fell on his head and knocked him unconscious. The janitor looked up and shrugged then went back to his digging. 

"Aw man," He grumbled. "I dropped my gum." 

************************************************************************. In the gym two classes practiced playing basketball side by side, the boy's gym class and the girl's gym class. "Okay let's see some hustle out there!" Mr. Falcone shouted. "Maximoff! Stop goofing off!" He shouted to the laughing teen. 

"Hey how come when a kid laughs it's called misbehaving but when an adult does it it's called socializing?" Pietro said. 

"Just shut up and throw the basketball!" Lance groaned. 

"Okay!" Pietro smirked as he threw the ball at his head. Lance ducked just in time but it went over to the girl's side, nearly hitting the female gym teacher. 

"Hey why don't you keep your basketballs on your own side!" Ms. Rafael bristled at Mr. Falcone. 

"Why don't you make me?" Mr. Falcone stuck his tongue out at her. "OW!" He shouted as he was hit in the face with a basketball. "THAT'S IT! MEN THROW YOUR BALLS RIGHT AT HER!"

"But…"Scott started to protest.

"Who's the teacher here? You or me?" Mr. Falcon shouted. "ATTACK!" 

"You heard the man," Lance shrugged and lobbed a basketball over to the girl's side with the rest of the boys. Scott reluctantly did so. 

"Okay this is war!" Ms. Rafael snarled. "Girls on my mark…"

"But we shouldn't be throwing basketballs at the guys," Jean said. "Somebody might get hurt!" 

"You wanna fail this class?" Ms. Rafael got in her face.

"Uh…No," Jean gulped. 

"GOOD! COUNTERATTACK!" Ms. Rafael shouted at her class. Soon the gym was swarming with flying basketballs. "CHARGE!" 

"OW!" Jean shouted as a basketball hit her in the arm.

"QUIT IT!" Wanda shouted. 

"YIKES!" Pietro barely managed to dodge all the basketballs. Fortunately no one noticed his super speed. They were all too busy running for their lives. 

"Ow!" Lance shouted as two balls hit him in the back. 

"Hey!" Scott dodged one ball only to be hit by two more. "Ow! Ow!" 

"Keep pouring it on!" Mr. Falcone shouted. 

"This is nuts!" Rogue shouted as she got hit in the butt by a ball. "Who did that?" 

Pietro snickered. "DIE YOU ALBINO FREAK!" She tossed a ball at him. 

"Missed me!" Pietro dodged it and stuck out his tongue. "Nyahhh! Uh oh…" Dozens of balls were suddenly hurled at him from both the boy's and the girl's side. "Ow! Ow! Ow!" 

"This ends now!" Wanda shouted and used her hex powers to throw balls everywhere. Jean tried to use her own powers to deflect them, but Wanda's powers screwed it up so more balls attacked her. 

"Help!" Jean screamed. 

"We're all gonna die!" One boy screamed. 

Twenty minutes later students and teachers alike were all bruised. "Oh…my head," Lance moaned as he lay on the floor. 

"My bruises have bruises," Rogue moaned. 

"I can't move," Wanda groaned. "I just can't move…"

"Neither can anybody else," Another girl told her. 

"I think I can move my left pinky finger," One boy moaned. "A little…" 

"Anybody seen my brain?" Pietro moaned in agony. "I think a basketball hit it out of my head."

"I'll help you look for yours as soon as I find mine," Scott moaned. 

"Now I know what those Ping-Pong balls in a lottery machine feel like," Jean groaned. 

"All right," Mr. Falcone panted. "Not bad. Not bad at all."

"But next time we wanna see some improvement!" Ms. Rafael said. 

"Next time?" Jean groaned.

"Oh no," Scott groaned. "Why do I have the feeling the Danger Room sessions are going to seem a lot easier and safer than gym class?" 

************************************************************************

"I'm telling you Paul those gym teachers are psychotic!" Scott groaned as they worked on their projects in computer class. "It was like they were waging a personal war and using us as soldiers! Paul? Paul are you listening to me?" 

"Huh?" Paul shook out of his reverie. "Oh sorry man, I got a lot on my mind. I was into the programming. You were saying?" 

"I was trying to warn you about the gym teachers from Hell," Scott said.

"They can't be that bad," Paul said.

"Hey, go ahead, don't believe me," Scott shrugged. "It's your funeral." 

"How are you two doing?" Mr. Parker came up to them. 

"Not bad," Scott nodded. 

"Uh yeah I think we've figured it out," Paul said. They worked on the project until the bell. 

"Well that's it for the day," Scott moaned. "Man I am wiped. You coming Paul?" 

"Oh I just want to talk to Mr. Parker for some extra credit," Paul said. "Catch up with you later."

Paul waited until everyone had left the room to approach Mr. Parker. He turned around and looked at him. "Can I help you son?" He asked. 

"That's an interesting way to put it…" Paul said. "Dad." 


	9. Father and Son Reunion

**Father and Son Reunion**

Mainframe (a.k.a. Mr. Parker) looked at Paul. "I wasn't sure that was you." 

"Well it has been a while," Paul said, his voice oddly without any trace of bitterness. 

Mainframe sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I…um…I guess an explanation of why I haven't written lately is probably overdue." 

"Not really," Paul said. "I mean when you're fighting terrorists every day as part of GI Joe I guess it does take up a lot of your time." 

Mainframe's jaw dropped. "How did you…?" 

"I overheard a lot of your arguments with Mom. Kind of hard not to." 

"I'm sorry," Mainframe apologized. "I didn't want you or your brother and sister to hear that. I admit I'm not exactly the perfect father. I've made a lot of mistakes and…"

"Look…Dad," Paul interrupted him. "You don't owe me any explanation. I mean mom wasn't exactly blameless herself. At least when you left you had a good reason."

"Paul I wanted custody of you kids. Really. But with my work…"

"I told you, you don't…" 

"Yes I do! At the time, I was just starting out with GI Joe. Moving from place to place all the time. I thought you'd be better off with your mother." 

"Well I guess you were right," Paul sighed. "I mean it wasn't like Mom was bad or anything. She just wasn't cut out to be a mom, that's all." 

Mainframe looked at his son. "You're certainly acting a lot more mature about this than I expected." 

"Well Aunt Robin and Uncle Troy have been great to us," Paul explained. "So I really can't complain. Peter may still be a little bitter, but I guess that's cause he's older. He's doing well at college."

"And your sister?"

"Gonna be a freshman here next year. Let me ask you something, that was you who got her into that space camp last year wasn't it?" 

"Yeah," Mainframe shrugged. "I knew a friend who knew someone. It was the least I could do."

"How'd you know?"

"I give your Aunt a call every now and then. Just to see how you are. Sorry I stopped writing though. I shouldn't have done that."

"No you shouldn't," Paul snapped slightly. Then he smirked. "I'm not that mature." 

They chuckled quietly, then sank into an uncomfortable silence. "So," Paul asked, breaking the silence. "What are you doing here? I mean what is a member of an elite terrorist unit doing at my high school posing as a computer instructor?" 

"I can't tell you," Mainframe sighed. "I was afraid you were gonna ask me that." 

"And I was afraid you were gonna say **that,**" Paul snapped. "Come on Dad, cut the secret agent stuff! What's going on? What could possibly interest GI Joe in Bay…" Then it hit him. "This is about mutants isn't it?" 

Mainframe's silence told him everything. "Oh my god," Paul gasped. "Now it all makes sense! All the weird stuff that's been happening at school! The monsters at the dance…" 

"Paul listen to me," Mainframe said. "A lot of people here aren't what they seem to be. That's all I can tell you. You also can't tell anyone you're my son. It's for your own safety!" 

"Oh well that makes me feel a **lot **better!" Paul groaned. "Dad if I'm in danger…" 

"Not you specifically, but other students are," Mainframe told him. 

"Like who?" Paul asked. "Come on Dad tell me! It's the least you can do after abandoning me!"

"That's emotional blackmail."

"Yes now spill it," Paul told him. 

"Listen Paul if there's any trouble and you can't find me I want you to go to either Mr. Falcone or Ms. Ark. Understand? You can trust them!" Was all Mainframe said. 

"How can I know what trouble there is if I don't know what it is?" Paul asked. "I'll do what you say, but are you sure you can't tell me anything else?"

Mainframe debated within himself. "Okay I want you to listen to this, you don't repeat this to anyone! You hear me! Anyone! I want you to stay away from the Brotherhood kids and…the Institute ones as well."

"You mean they're…" Paul looked at him. "What about Scott?"

Mainframe said nothing. "Oh come on Dad!" Paul spat. "He's my best friend! We talk about everything!"

"Not everything Paul," Mainframe told him. "He could be in a lot of danger. I don't want you hurt if something happens! Understand?" 

Paul stood there shaken. "Anything else…Mr. Parker?" He said in a controlled voice.

"No Paul, that will be all," He sighed as his son left. _God forgive me if I've jeopardized this mission! Falcon is gonna kill me! _

Paul left the classroom shaken. _Scott my best friend is a mutant? And he never told me? What is going on? How can I just go on like nothing's happened? I don't know how I'm gonna handle this! How can I lie to my friend like that? Or was he ever my friend in the first place? _


	10. More Problems for Parker

**More Problems for Parker**

"HOW COULD YOU NOT KNOW WHERE YOUR OWN SON GOES TO SCHOOL?" Falcon roared. 

"Give me a break Falcon," Mainframe groaned. "And keep your voice down! I know school's out but someone might still hear us!"

"That's the least of our problems," Falcon snapped. "I don't believe it! We've only been here a day and already our cover's blown!" 

"Our cover is not blown!" Mainframe told him. "Paul doesn't know about most of the people here!"

"Most of the people here?" Falcon looked at him.

"I told him if there was any trouble and he couldn't find me to go to either you or Jinx," He admitted.

"Oh that's wonderful," Falcon threw up his hands. "And I suppose you told him about the mutants in the school while you were at it?"

"Technically no," Mainframe swallowed hard. "He figured it out on his own." 

"Great!" Falcon snapped. "Just great! Does he know who they are? Don't answer that!" 

"Look it's not as bad as it looks," Mainframe told him. "He's a good kid. He won't tell anyone."

"How do you know that? You haven't seen him in years! Do you realize how much damage this does? Knowing this type of information has put him in danger!"

"He's already in danger along with the entire school with two warring groups of mutants and Cobra running around!" Mainframe spat. "If he was your kid would you do the same thing?"

Falcon paused. "Probably." 

"Look he doesn't know about Cobra or the mutants having a little war of their own," Mainframe told him. "He just knows to try and stay away from them and to keep his eyes open. That's all." 

Falcon looked at him. "Okay, okay we'll see how this goes. But if there's any more breach of security you are so off this mission!"

"You gonna tell Hawk?" 

"Eventually. Not now."

"Thanks, I really appreciate it. Look, it's not like I'm making out with Zarana or anything…"

"Yeah well you'd better keep yourself out of that situation!" Falcon warned him. He was one of the very few people to know that Mainframe had feelings for the female Dreadnok. 

"Hey I'm not the one who started a basketball war today," Mainframe said.

"She started it," Falcon pouted. "What did you see in her?"

"Let's just say…I have a lot of weak spots okay?" Mainframe groaned. "Speaking of weak spots, how is Bazooka doing installing the surveillance equipment?" 

"He's ahead of schedule," Falcon told him. "Lucky for us Kelly's a total idiot." 

"He's not the only one!" Jinx stormed into the room. "What's the big idea of putting this love note in my mailbox?" 

"Just wanted to make it up to you babe," Falcon protested.

"Don't babe me you jerk! And look how you started this! 'Dear Jinx!' Terrific! Why not just blast my code name on the intercom while you're at it?"

"Hey I'm not the only one who screwed up!" Falcon said. "Mainframe's kid knows all about us!" 

"Hey!" Mainframe protested.

"Don't change the subject!" Jinx snapped. "You irresponsible…" As she went on her tirade Mainframe thought that now would be a good idea to escape. As the door slammed behind him Jinx remembered something. "What was that about his kid knowing about us?" 

"Heh," Falcon laughed weakly, knowing he was going to get the blame for this. 

************************************************************************

Mainframe went down the hallway, glad to have escaped the wrath of Jinx. As he turned the corner he literally ran into Zarana. 

"Watch it Joe!" She hissed. 

"You watch it!" He snapped. "I should have known Cobra would poke its scaly nose into this!" 

"Yeah and you overgrown Boy Scouts have come to save the day as usual!" Zarana snapped.

"You're not gonna get those mutants so why don't you just go!" Mainframe snapped.

"Try and stop us!" Zarana huffed.

"Snake!" 

"Boy Scout!"

"Witch!" 

"Jerkface!" 

"Are you as turned on by this as I am?"

"More!" She grabbed him and kissed him passionately. He kissed her back with equal fire. 

_Oh god, _Mainframe thought as they kissed. _I am so screwed…._

_What am I doing? _Zarana thought. _I am so screwed…_

Deciding that making out in the hallway was a bad idea they broke off the kiss. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Mainframe gasped.

"Yeah," Zarana gulped. "This is a mistake."

"This is nuts!"

"Right."

"It'll compromise both our missions."

"Right." 

"We just can't do this!"

"You're right. We'll do it in the janitor's closet down the hall."

"Okay," He said as he followed her. They stopped at the door to the closet and looked around. They embraced again and started kissing. Mainframe fumbled with the door and they went into the closet.

And found themselves face to face with Principal Kelly and his secretary Dorothy. 

"Oh my…" Zarana gulped.

"Uh oh…" Dorothy gulped and straightened her blouse. 

"Uh sorry," Mainframe apologized. "Didn't know it was occupied."

"Uh, that's okay," Kelly fidgeted nervously. "I won't tell if you won't." 

"Deal," Mainframe and Zarana went outside quickly.

"Oh god I can't believe we got caught," Dorothy moaned

"I am so embarrassed," Kelly groaned. They looked at each other and started making out again.

On the other side of the door Mainframe and Zarana blinked. "Well that saved us from making a big mistake," Mainframe said.

"Yes," Zarana agreed. "It's a sign. We shouldn't do this."

"You're right," Mainframe nodded. "We were lucky."

"There's an empty classroom on the second floor," Zarana said. 

"Okay," Mainframe followed her upstairs. 

About two minutes after Bazooka came down the hall whistling. He opened the door to the closet. "Hello!" He stated. 


	11. Conversations in the Halls

**Conversations in the Halls**

The bell rang signaling it was time to change classes for the last period of the day. However John, Pietro and other members of the Brotherhood were not in much of a hurry to get to class. "The worst period of the day is the last period," Pietro groaned. "It goes by sooooo sloooooooow!" 

"I've had it with this," John fumed. "Let's blow this joint!" 

"Yeah why are we at school anyway?" Fred huffed. 

"I'm with you!" Pietro nodded. "You coming sis?"

"Why not?" Wanda shrugged. "Nothing better to do. School reminds me too much of the asylum anyway!" 

Peter looked uneasy. "Are you sure we should be doing this?"

"You're not chicken are you?" John smirked. 

"No," Peter snapped. 

"Then it's all settled!" Pietro said. "Let's go!" 

"Shouldn't we get Remy and Lance?" Fred asked.

"They're too busy chasing their X-Geek girlfriends," John smirked. 

"Ah who needs 'em," Pietro shrugged. "If they wanna suck up to the goody good girls that's their business!"

"So is there anywhere fun to go in this dump?" John asked as they headed out.

"Actually there is one place," Pietro smirked. "Fred you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Oh yeah baby!" Fred licked his lips. "It's time for some hot wings!" 

They walked by Rogue on their way out. She ignored them, heading off to class. She was bumped into by a huge jock. "Hey watch it!" 

"You watch it freak!" The Jock huffed. He had two buddies with him who snickered. He knocked her books out of her hands.

"Why you muscle head!" Rogue fumed. "Why don't you go play on a tire swing?"

"Hey guys look!" The Jock sneered. "The little weirdo's threatening me! Get a decent look!"

"You get a decent brain!" Rogue snapped. 

"You wanna fight? Huh Freakgirl?" The Jock snarled. He moved forward menacingly.

Only to have someone grab his shoulder and slam him into a locker. "HEY! LEGGO!" 

"I believe you owe an apology to the lady," Remy said menacingly. 

The Jock broke away. "I don't owe nobody nothing!" He spat. "Especially to some freak with weird hair!" 

"Who are you calling a freak, freak?" Remy hissed. "You seem to know a lot more about them than you let on!" 

"Wh-what?" The Jock stared at him. 

"I saw you at that game last weekend," Remy sneered. "You play pretty well. A little too well if you get my picture!" 

"I don't know what you're talking about," The Jock said nervously. 

"Don't you?" Remy cocked an eyebrow. "Anybody can dye their hair. It's people who try to pass as normal that really bug me!"

The other two jocks looked at their leader with searching eyes. "Hey chill man," The jock backed away. "I didn't mean freak as in mutant freak I meant freak as in weirdo freak! I wasn't implying… Oh come on guys I'm not a mutant! Come on! Let's go!" They walked away. However the other two jocks were looking at the first jock funny. 

"Nothing like a little xenophobia to drive away a jock," Remy snickered. 

"Uh thanks," Rogue said. "It was really starting to get ugly. Not that I couldn't have handled them…"

"Of course not," Remy smiled. "I just didn't want to see you mess up those nice clothes you were wearing. Blood is so hard to get out."

"Yeah well thanks," Rogue said. "I really appreciate that."

"Do my ears deceive me? Did you just thank me without insulting me?" Remy asked. 

"Don't get too used to it," Rogue smirked. "Hey um, can I ask you something?"

"Ask away."

"Do you remember what happened the night…Toad died? Who killed him?"

"Magneto did of course," Remy said. "Despite what everyone in the Brotherhood now believes." 

"What do you mean?"

"They think Mystique killed Toad in a rage because you X-Men won the battle," Remy told her. "I know differently." 

"Wait, the Brotherhood all thinks that Mystique killed Toad except you?" Rogue asked. "Why?" 

"I don't know," Gambit frowned. "I think maybe my head is a little harder to get into than most."

"The Professor said a telepath was in the area recently," Rogue told him. 

"Makes sense," Gambit said. "I wouldn't put it past Magneto to hire one. And there's no reason for the Professor to shift the blame. Listen I have a request to make of you, can you get out of the mansion for a few hours tonight?"

"Are you asking me out on a date?" Rogue blinked.

"Not quite," Gambit said. "I was told to deliver a message to you." He handed her a piece of paper. "You not supposed to show that to anybody and follow the directions."

Rogue glanced at the note. "I don't believe this," She gasped. She looked at him in shock. "I…I'll be there." 

"Tell no one," Remy said quietly and walked away. Leaving Rogue to ponder. She walked down the halls in a daze, not even noticing Kurt waving to her. 

"Well there goes Miss Sociable," Kurt made a face.

"Oh come on Kurt," Amanda pulled him closer. "She's just probably stressing over her tests like everyone else."

"Well better tests than…other things," Kurt sighed. 

"Kurt," Amanda started to say, putting one hand to his face, taking in the fuzzy texture underneath his holographic skin. 

"I'm okay," He smiled. "So are you up for a Gut Bomb Bonanza this weekend?" 

"Yes," She smiled. "I finally told my parents about you. Well the dating part, not the other stuff. Trust me, my dad's already freaked enough about me dating boys period. Mom's okay with it. I think she wants to meet you." 

"Oh my first interview with my girlfriend's parents," Kurt rolled his eyes

"Relax," Amanda smiled. "Dad hasn't cleaned out his gun collection yet so…"

"WHAT?" Kurt yelped.

"Just kidding," Amanda giggled and they kissed.

"All right break it up you two and get to class!" Ms. Baron shouted at them, forcing them to leave. "This is a school not a make out session!" 

"Oh Ms. Baron!" Kelly called out to her. A tall man with red hair and glasses was next to him. 

"Yes Principal Kelly?" Ms. Baron walked up to them.

"I'd like you to meet our Vice Principal," Kelly introduced the man. "Mr. Henry Guyrich." 

"Actually we've met," The red haired man smiled. 

"Of course," Ms. Baron smiled sweetly. "It's good to see you again." 

"Well that's nice," Kelly said. "Mr. Guyrich was at a seminar this past week. That's why he wasn't present during our interview." 

"I've heard of that seminar," Ms. Baron said. "It was the 'Keep Our Schools Safe' one wasn't it?"

"Yes it was," Mr. Guyrich smiled. "Actually I wanted to talk to you about organizing a group of teachers to attend another one like it. It's very educational."

"I'll bet," Ms. Baron smiled. 

Kelly suddenly felt like a third wheel. "Well if you'll excuse me I have other duties to attend to," He backed away. He looked behind him. "HEY YOU! PUT DOWN THAT CAN OF SHAVING CREAM!" He took off. 

"Well I certainly didn't expect to see you here this quickly," Guyrich said.

"I told you," Ms. Baron smiled. "I am very interested in your cause. And in your friend Mr. Trask's work. But here is not the best place to discuss such things."

"I agree. How about tonight at dinner?" 

"Are you asking me on a date, Mr. Guyrich?"

"Well technically it's just two people getting together over a meal to discuss mutual interests," Guyrich smiled. 

"I'll see you at seven," Ms. Baron smiled. They parted. Not long after they did Mr. Tanzar (Zartan) came up to her. They walked side by side. 

"So that's the contact you were so mysterious about," Mr. Tanzar smirked. "Interesting. This game just got a whole new dimension." 

"Yes the information I can get about Trask's secret organization will help Cobra a thousand fold," She smiled. "Now if I can only get the plans for that Sentinel…"

"So Cobra can use it to hunt mutants?" Mr. Tanzar asked.

"Why be so limited?" Ms. Baron walked off with him. "Mutants, Joes, scientists, Congressmen with thick bank accounts…the possibilities are endless." 

"That's what I love about Cobra," Mr. Tanzar smirked. "Such an equal opportunity enterprise." They both laughed as they went around the corner past Kitty at her locker. Obviously she was too involved with her own thoughts to hear them. 

"Hey Kitty," Lance came over. 

"Hi!" Kitty beamed. "So how are you doing Lance? Really." 

"Okay I guess," Lance sighed. "Look, um do you have a minute?"

"Well I do have study hall in the library," Kitty said. 

"That's perfect!" Lance said. "Look, do you want to get out of here and talk someplace?"

"What just cut class?" Kitty was surprised.

"Why not?" Lance asked. "They never take attendance in Library Study hall and there's not any other time we can be together soon! I just…I just want to be with you alone. Away from…everything. Kitty we'll go somewhere where we won't get caught! I promise!" 

"Well…Okay let's do it!" Kitty took his arm and when no one was looking, they phased though the wall outside. 

**Whoa! Kitty ditching school? Who would have thought? So who wrote the note to Rogue? What will happen on Lance and Kitty's 'date'? Where are the rest of the Brotherhood going? Will Kurt and Amanda's relationship stay strong? What are Guyrich's plans? How will the Baroness use them to her advantage? Stay tuned for the answers! **


	12. Respite

**And now…A little bit of romantic fluff. **

**Respite**

"Wow! Look at this place!" Kitty looked around. They were in a secluded grove in the park. Several kinds of flowers bloomed in vibrant colors giving off a sweet smelling perfume. Nearby a small stream snaked past, the gentle sounds of traveling water were soothing. 

"How did you ever find this place?" Kitty asked. 

"I found it a while back," Lance explained. "I was trying to hide from the Moron Brigade and I came across this place. I come here every now and then to think. Sometimes it even helps with my headaches." 

"It's beautiful," Kitty looked around. 

"I figured you'd like it," Lance smiled. "Hey I got some snacks!" He pulled out some candy bars and soda from his backpack. "Want some?"

"Okay!" Kitty said energetically. They sat down in the shade of one of the trees and ate them. They talked about school for a bit and laughed. Then they relaxed. Kitty lay back in Lance's arms, her back to his chest. "Lance?" She asked.

"Yeah?" He asked stroking her hair.

"Why can't you come back to the X-Men?" She asked him. Lance replied with a sigh. "Why? You can't tell me you prefer to stay with Mystique and Magneto!" 

"Kitty I can't go with you back to the X-Men," Lance told her. "I tried that before, remember? I'll never be accepted there."

"But…"

"You remember how ready they were to blame me for everything that went wrong? They never wanted me there. Besides, I can't leave the Brotherhood. Especially after what happened to Toad. They need me there. The X-Men don't. It's that simple. So I guess we still have to sneak around." 

"This stinks," Kitty fumed. "I hate this!"

"So do I," Lance hugged her. "But we have to stay strong. Who knows? The X-Men and the Brotherhood have worked together before. Maybe in the future we will unite." 

"I don't Mystique is going to like that very much," Kitty sighed. 

"Well let's just say she's kinda out of commission since Blob went on his little rampage," Lance smirked. "She's been screaming murder from her bed ever since. Don't worry. Magneto told us it's what she deserved for going against his orders."

"Lance he's the one who…" Kitty was about to contradict him when she saw the look in his eyes. She realized that it wouldn't do any good. "Never mind." She decided to talk about that with the professor later. 

"Let's not talk any more about this huh?" Lance asked. "I came here to get away from it all!"

"Okay," Kitty sat back in his arms. They sat in silence for a while. 

Lance sighed. "You know what I wish? I wish we could both take off somewhere. Leave everything behind, Bayville, the Brotherhood, and the X-Men. Everything and start over." 

"Lance we can't do that," Kitty told him. "What about school? Our lives? Where would we go?" 

"Yeah," Lance sighed. "I guess there's not too many havens for people like us. Especially now. Can I tell you something?"

"Sure."

"Kitty…I'm scared. I never realized how badly people would react to us. Have you seen the faces of people whenever anyone mentions the word 'mutant' nowadays? It's like we're some horrible disease that has to be exterminated. I knew we have to fight humans to survive. But I had no idea how many we'd have to fight."

"Why do we have to fight them at all?" Kitty asked. 

"Because they want to kill us that's why!" Lance said incredulously.

"Not all of them," Kitty shook her head. "I can't believe that. There has to be another way of reaching them. Besides, people are just scared because they don't know about us yet. Maybe once they learn more about us, they'll probably back off. Not everybody's like that Trask guy you know!" 

"That's what I love about you Kitty," Lance said. "You're able to see the good in people. I hope you're right. For all our sakes."

"School's out already," Kitty groaned as she looked at her watch. "I have to go back."

"Me too," Lance sighed. "Her Royal Highness awaits. Well at least we were together for a little while." He kissed her. 

"Yeah," Kitty smiled as she kissed him back. "We should do this again sometime." 

"Really?"

"Really." 

Lance drove Kitty back to the Institute. He parked the car a block away and let her out. Kitty went into the mansion, hoping she could just phase through to her room. However Scott spotted her. "Hey Kitty where were you?" He asked. "I wanted to ask you about something in study hall." 

Before she could reply Rogue came out. "Scott didn't I tell you that she had to go to the nurse." 

"What for?" Scott asked. He got a glare in response. "Uh let me guess, girl stuff?"

"It's called a period Scott," Rogue snapped. "I mean it's not a big deal! All it means is a bunch of blood…" 

"Okaylookatthetimegottago!" Scott ran off down the hall.

"It's so easy sometimes I almost feel sorry for 'em," Rogue smirked. "Let me guess, you and Lance had some alone time?"

"Yeah," Kitty blushed and looked around nervously. 

"Don't worry I won't tell," Rogue said. "Provided of course you do something for me." 


	13. Brotherhood Vs. Dreadnoks

**Brotherhood Vs. Dreadnoks**

Meanwhile across town…

"This stinks!" Torch absently threw a peanut at the wall. "We've only been in town for a few days and already I'm bored out of my bleeding skull!" 

"Yeah this town's a right dump!" Buzzer agreed. "I thought that hole in the wall in Vietnam was dull, but at least there was a good knife fight to watch every once in a while!"

"All I know is that if I don't get to blow something up or destroy something soon I'm gonna go out of my mind!" Ripper snapped. He put a peanut into his left nostril, aimed his nose at the television and blew it out, hitting the channel changer. 

"You're already out of your mind Ripper," Torch snickered.

"Yeah well there's nothing worse than sitting around on your butt all day waiting for some action!" Ripper snapped.

"Oh yes there is," Monkeywrench snapped. "It's serving food to those whiny brats all morning while waiting for some action! Ugh! I nearly lost my arm today trying to put all that food on the tray for the fat one! Even worse, I smell like creamed corn! Now I'm gonna have to take a shower this week!"

"Yeah," Ripper chuckled. "Well that's what you get for being such an intellectual!" 

"Shut yer face!" Monkeywrench snapped. 

"Make me!" Ripper snarled. 

"Quit it you two!" Buzzer stood between them. "The boss ain't gonna like it if we bust this place up before he tells us to! You wanna get on his bad side?" They backed down. "I didn't think so! Just chill out!" 

"Yeah well I just hope some action happens soon," Ripper grumbled.

"HOT WINGS FOR EVERYBODY!" Fred shouted as the Brotherhood swaggered into the bar. 

"Oh no," The bartender grew pale. "Not them again." 

"Bartender your finest hot wings and ice cream sodas please," Pietro said.

"Uh…y…yes sir!" The bartender ran off to do his bidding. 

"Goody!" Fred licked his lips and rubbed his hands. "But first, a little snack!" He grabbed the peanut bowl from the Dreadnoks' table and began chowing down on them. 

"Hey!" Buzzer snapped. "Why that big oaf! He took my peanuts!" 

"What's so special about these brats?" Ripper snarled.

"Well let's find out shall we?" Buzzer grinned.

"Wait a minute," Monkeywrench asked. "I thought you said for us not to bust the place up?"

"That was before the fat one took my peanuts!" Buzzer snapped. 

"I dunno," Monkeywrench gulped. "I mean we don't know what their powers are."

"Well let's find out shall we?" Ripper smirked. He and the others swaggered over the bar. "Oi! Fatso! What the bloody hell do you underage twits think you're doing?" 

The room got deathly quiet as they Brotherhood turned around with very serious looks on their faces. The regulars at the bar, people who had no fear of cops, soldiers, or Martians quickly ran out the back door in terror. "You talking to us?" Fred growled. 

"Well I don't see no other little pampered sissies here now do I?" Ripper snarled. 

"Let me guess," Pietro made an evil grin. "You're new in town aren't you?" 

"Yeah," Torch sneered. "And we don't like little drips like you invading our space!"

"Listen Hairball," Wanda snarled. "You jerks are in our territory!"

"Aw what'cha gonna do about it little girl?" Buzzer laughed as he lightly tapped her face. "Are you gonna cry?" 

Wanda's eyes glared. "NOBODY TOUCHES ME!" She screamed. With a hex bolt she threw all of the Dreadnoks across the room. 

They recovered quickly and grabbed their weapons. Torch grabbed his blowtorch, Ripper his huge rifle with a bayonet attached, Buzzer his chainsaw and Monkeywrench grabbing his trusty grenades. "LET'S GET 'EM!" Buzzer screamed. 

"Oh god…" The bartender ran out the back door with his bounces as soon as the fray started. "Good thing I just paid my insurance bill!"

"Big Charley is gotta find a safer job," The huge bouncer whimpered as he ran for life. 

"This is why they call me Torch!" Torch shouted as he shot at the Brotherhood with his flame-thrower.

"Oh really?" John raised an eyebrow before redirecting the flames back at Torch. "And this is why they call me Pyro!" 

"Yeow!" Torch ran off in terror, the flames sparking his butt. 

"I'm gonna carve me up a fat Blob steak!" Buzzer lunged at Fred with the chainsaw. And then he watched in horror as it broke on contact with Fred's skin.

"That tickles!" Fred laughed. 

"Th…That was my favorite chainsaw!" Buzzer stared at it in shock. "You…you…" 

"My turn," Fred sneered as he backhanded Buzzer across the room.

"Allow me my dear," Peter stepped in front of Wanda just as Monkeywrench threw a grenade at him. He changed into his armored form just as it blew up. Of course it didn't leave a dent on him. 

"How did you bloody do that?" Monkeywrench gasped. 

"Oh just a little something I picked up!" Peter joked as he grabbed the Dreadnok. "Allow me to show you the door!" He threw Monkeywrech outside, through the closed bar door. 

"Come on is that the best you can do?" Pietro laughed and made faces as Ripper tried to shoot him. "Can't catch me! Your aim is lousy!" 

"Stand still you skinny little twit!" Ripper screamed.

"Fighting you is like standing still," Pietro laughed. He zipped around him throwing punches, beating Ripper senseless. He took the weapon from him. "I'll take that thank you very much! You know you shouldn't wave these things around. These things are dangerous!" 

"Let me play with that Pietro," Wanda took the rifle and pointed it at the remaining Dreadnoks with a wicked gleam in her eyes. "I've always wanted to fire one of these things!" 

"Oh no…" Torch gulped. "Yikes!" He jumped as the bullets nearly shot his feet off.

"DANCE! DANCE!" Wanda laughed maniacally. 

"Hey this place is getting a bit hot for me!" John shouted as the bar caught on fire. 

"Let's go!" Fred said, then he looked at the Dreadnoks cowering in terror before them. "But first…I think we should deal with these morons! Hey Peter! Hand me one of those bar stools will ya?" 

Three seconds later Monkeywrench saw his companions thrown out of the door tied up with a bent barstool. "I knew this was a bad idea," Monkeywrench ran off when he heard the sirens. "Zartan ain't gonna be happy about this!" 

The Brotherhood took off as well, leaving the Dreadnoks to get arrested. For once, thought they used their brains and didn't say anything about the mutants to the cops. They knew if they did it would blow Cobra's plans. Not long after a FBI agent came and took them away. Of course the agent was really Zartan in disguise. 

"You brainless buffoons can't do anything right, can you?" Zartan shouted. "I ought to have left you cretins to rot in that stinking cell!" 

"Sorry boss," Buzzer apologized. He and all the other Dreadnoks were covered in bandages. "We weren't thinking." 

"Well that's pretty damn obvious! You could have blown our cover!" Zandar snapped. "You don't see the Joes making stupid mistakes like that!" 

"Did they recognize you?" Zarana asked Monkeywrench. 

"I don't think so," He told her. 

"All right you Monkeywrench are going to have to change your looks!" Zartan told him. "Trim your moustache or something. Dye your hair, I don't care! And you lot are leaving town until you are needed!" He pointed at the rest of them. "You're just lucky I am in a generous mood today or you all will really be injured!" 

"Yes sir," Torch gulped. He breathed as sigh of relief as they left. "Whew! Boy did we get off easy!" 

"Says you," Monkeywrench grumbled. "I don't wanna change the way I look!" 

"Okay note to self," Buzzer gulped. "Never tangle with the Brotherhood again! They are insane destructive maniacs!"

"That's for sure," Ripper groaned, his arm in a cast. "Too bad we didn't get to them sooner. They would have made great Dreadnoks." 


	14. Secret Meetings

**Secret Meetings**

Later that evening two figures sat at a charming Italian restaurant. Ms. Baron sat across her companion wearing a long black strapless gown. They had just ordered their meal. "I must say this is a strange place to discuss the fate of the world," She smiled. 

"I wouldn't be so melodramatic," Guyrich said. "So tell me Ms. Baron…"

"Alexya," She corrected him.

"Alexya," He smiled. "When did you first take interest in advanced mutations?"

"Oh it must be about…fifteen…no seventeen years ago," Ms. Baron told him. "My professor was part of a project. I can't go into details you understand, at least not yet." 

"Oh of course," Guyrich nodded. 

"But we did study the effects of telekinesis and telepathy," She said. "Perhaps you've heard of him, Doctor Modrovich?" 

"No I can't say I have," Guyrich shook his head.

"I thought not," She sighed. "The government confiscated most of his works and banned the project. They thought his studies to be fraudulent, an embarrassment. But I knew even then that he was onto something."

"Sounds like a true pioneer," Guyrich said. "I'd like to meet him."

"That's…not possible. Shortly after they closed the project the government had him assassinated. I was lucky to get out of the country alive." 

"I'm sorry."

Ms. Baron shrugged. "I can never return to my homeland. There are still people there who wish to kill me simply because they are afraid of the truth. Even now they are still in denial. That's partly why I had to cover my tracks so to speak." 

"Bureaucrats," Guyrich spat. "Close minded fools! I thought our government was blind." 

"That's life I'm afraid," She shrugged. "Fortunately I found a benefactor who was more than willing to study the good doctor's notes. If you like I can arrange for you to have a copy of them."

"I'd find them enlightening," Guyrich said. "I'd like to meet this benefactor of yours."

"In due time. Let's just say for the moment he works with several powerful individuals who don't want to draw too much attention to themselves. But can give you one of our backers. Extensive Enterprises." 

"What?" Guyrich gasped. "That's the world's most powerful corporation! The owners make Donald Trump look like a shoeshine boy!" 

"Yes," Ms. Baron smiled knowing she had him hooked. "Thanks to their generous contributions we've been working on some…projects of our own. But they are not as successful as Mr. Trask's." 

"Some success," Guyrich sighed. "All we achieved was causing a worldwide panic!" 

"Don't be so hard on yourselves," Ms. Baron told him. "There are more mutants than you know existing out there and they are very tricky! All the more reason we have to act quietly as possible. The world is changing by the hour. Genetic warfare will soon make nuclear warfare seem like a dinosaur. It's not just mutants themselves that are a danger. There are governments, terrorist agencies; you name it that would do anything to get their hands on such power. For example what better way to find out government secrets than to send an agent who can read minds into the field? Or how about one that can control the weather…the possibilities are endless." 

"And frightening," Guyrich said. 

"Fear is a healthy response," Ms. Baron said. "But it is also a dangerous one. If you look at mutants logically, like a problem that needs to be solved the fear dissolves and you can solve it." 

"I must say I find your approach to the mutant problem refreshing," Guyrich told her. "A real change from Trask's. Not as…emotional." 

"I have heard of his tendency to rant," Ms. Baron smiled. "That's why I decided to contact you first."

"Yes he does tend to go on a bit," Guyrich admitted. "Always raving about how the uh…non humans are corrupting our gene pool."

"The only problem with people like Trask is that they view mutants as a threat for the wrong reasons," Ms. Baron told him. "They see them as inferior to humans. When sadly it's the other way around. Once the mutants realize this they will see us as obsolete, therefore disposable. And it's only a matter of time before they find a leader to lead them into battle against us. That's when the real danger begins." 

"Agreed," Guyrich nodded. "Of course it might be wise to keep a few around, so we can incorporate some of their DNA into the gene pool. The less violent strains you understand. I don't know about you but I'd like some of that DNA that helps you heal wounds automatically and extends your lifespan. Just don't tell Trask I said that."

"Of course. Oh you might want to look at this," Ms. Baron handed him a list. 

"What's this?" Guyrich looked at it.

"It's a list of government agents posing as teachers in the school building," She said calmly. Guyrich stared at her. "I told you we had resources. Don't worry, they don't know about you yet and we intend to keep it that way." 

"I see," Guyrich looked at it. "I was right. You are a valuable ally. Why are they here?"

"To keep an eye on the mutants of course," Ms. Baron told him. "The government is blind to the threat. Wants to keep them safe for their own purposes, never realizing that they could turn on them at any minute."

"We've got to tell Kelly, someone," Guyrich said. 

"And risk the mutants escaping? Don't worry, we have ways of handling them." Ms. Baron waved her hand. "But we do need a little help with the final phase of containment. That's where you and Mr. Trask come in." 

"I think Mr. Trask and I may accommodate you on that," Guyrich smiled. "I'll have to consult him of course."

"Of course."

"It may take time. He's …indisposed at the moment."

"I understand. Our plan needs a few months to get the right people and equipment prepared anyway. It's best to take these things slowly." 

"I couldn't agree more, Alexya. Let's have a toast!" Guyrich said pouring some champagne. "To a better world."

"A better world," Ms. Baron smiled. 

************************************************************************

Finally Rogue and Remy made it to the cliff overlooking Bayville. She had snuck out borrowing Kitty's ability to phase. She had also agreed to cover for her. "Well we're here," She turned around. "So where is…"

"Hello Rogue." 

Rogue turned around and saw whom she was supposed to meet. "Irene? It is you!" 

"Yes child," Irene smiled. "I can't stay long. I needed to talk to you."

"What's going on?" She asked.

"Magneto and Mystique have changed everything," Irene told her. "I'm not exactly sure how, but their actions are putting all us mutants at great risk."

"Tell me something I don't know," Rogue sighed. 

"I do know this," Irene looked at her. "Magneto wishes to become the supreme leader of all mutants. That will never happen now. There will be others to take his place."

"Others?" Rogue looked at him. "Who?"

"I'm not sure," She said. "Too many probabilities. I also know that they haven't given up on you. Mystique has been spying on you child. I don't know what form she's taken to do it in, but I am sure of it."

"Oh great," Rogue said. 

"There's more," She told her. "I fear there are others spying on all the mutants at Bayville. Some want to help us, others wish us harm. You must trust no one. Not yet." 

"I don't suppose you know who they are?" Rogue asked.

"All I know is that the ones who will harm us follow the snake," Irene said. "That's all I can figure out."

"Why are you telling me all this?" Rogue asked. "And why is he here?"

"Because she asked me chere," Remy told her.

"Listen to me," Irene took her gloved hand. "Something big will happen. In Chicago. Magneto will do something there but I don't know what or why. I do know this, when the time comes, you must trust Remy. He will be the only one that can save you."

"Him?" She looked at Remy. "Why? I thought you worked for him?" 

"I first joined Magneto when I thought he would help all mutants," Remy told her. "Now I see him for what he really is. The day he killed Toad was the day I stopped being loyal to him."

"But you must not leave him," Irene said. "Not yet. Not until what must be done has been done."

"So you're with us now," Rogue asked him. 

"Yes," Remy said. "But you cannot tell anyone else." 

"Well one person," Irene handed her a note. "Give this to Xavier, make sure that no one else sees it or knows about it. We cannot take any chances. Promise me you'll do this." 

"I promise Irene," Rogue said. "I…" 

"Hush now," Irene said softly. "There isn't much time. I have to leave soon. I must hide from Magneto while there is still time. He's away in one of his hidden labs. Working on one of his projects. I must hide before he finds out that I have disappeared. It's the best way we can be safe." 

"You'll be careful?" Rogue asked.

"Of course child," Irene smiled. She turned to Gambit. "You will take care of her?"

"I promise," Remy said. "Despite what the saying goes even thieves have some honor." 

"Well that's nice to know," Rogue said.

"Child I can see the upcoming months ahead will be difficult at best," Irene said. "You will be tested and tricked. Disillusioned and deceived. But you must not lose hope. You must stay with the X-Men. They'll need you. I know that now. I just wish I realized it before." 

"Don't blame yourself," Rogue said. "Mystique has a lot to do with this. Remember?" 

Irene nodded. "One thing more Remy," she said. "Don't try to recruit anyone else, not because they might betray you, but they might be destroyed because of you." 

Remy said nothing. "I see," She sighed. "You do what you must, but don't say I didn't warn you. I must go now. Remy take her home." She hugged her foster daughter. "Take care my dear child. And know this, I love you." She walked away into the night. 

"Irene…" Rogue called, but Remy put a hand on her shoulder.

"No Rogue," He said sadly. "Let her do this. She's one tough lady. She'll be fine. Come on, Gambit take you home now." 

"Are you really with us?" Rogue asked him.

"Yes," He nodded. "I may pretend to be Brotherhood for now, but my heart is that of an X-Man." 

**Will the Baroness succeed in her dastardly plan? Will she get the Sentinel plans? And what is Magneto's upcoming plan of attack? Can Remy really be trusted? Darned if I know. I'm making this up as I go along. **


	15. Dreams of Peace

**Dreams of Peace**

Weeks passed in Bayville without incident. Well that wasn't exactly true. There were several minor incidents at Bayville High. Most of them minor pranks on Principal Kelly such as the usual filling up his car with pudding, gluing his desk to the ceiling, putting shaving cream on his chair, etc. Not to mention the fact that he was once hit on the head with a stray basketball. Once someone placed several hyperactive ferrets in his office. 

There were also a few minor skirmishes as well. The usual altercations between girls who had rivalries with each other. Jocks against anyone they felt like picking on. The harassed rebelling against the jocks. But all were trivial. Mostly screaming and shoving. There were even a few skirmishes between the Institute kids and the Brotherhood, but to Kelly's amazement, never got very far. That was due to the fact that as soon as they started to argue, either Mr. Falcone or Mr. LaFitte or even Mr. Pine came running and broke it up. 

There was also the usual gossip and scandal surrounding the school, who went to what party. Who got drunk and passed out. Who got grounded or arrested. The favorite topic of discussion was the romantic flings that were going on around them. Who was going out with whom, all the fights, the make-ups and the break ups? Who was cheating on whom and who with? Some of these discussions involved the students as well as the teachers. 

There was even talk of romance blossoming among the Institute Kids and the Brotherhood despite their rivalry. Yes there was the familiar romance of Lance Alvers and Kitty Pryde, but there were new players to the game. The young girl only known as Rogue was well…actually being nice to the new student Remy Lebeau. That was the best way to put it. Tabitha Smith, the former Institute student turned Brotherhood member was now once again an Institute student. Where she had once favored both Kurt Wagner and Pietro Maximoff with her affections, she now was dating Ray Crisp, another Institute student. Actually Kelly thought that this was a good match, considering their explosive personalities. 

Yes Kelly was finally the closest to happiness he had been in a long time. He was convinced that the worst was behind him. He was also convinced that no one else knew of his affair with his secretary. But what did that matter? Bayville was finally a normal school, or the closest to it that it would ever become. Oh sure there were still the occasional minor tremors every now and then, but by now even he was used to them. But there were no demon, monster or mutant sightings anymore. And that suited him just fine. 

Now if he could only figure out why and how the janitor installed that huge satellite dish on the roof… 

************************************************************************

"I can't believe how quiet it's been," Xavier sighed as he and Logan looked out the window of his study. They were watching the students relax and play on the lawn. 

"Maybe Destiny was wrong," Logan said. "Maybe Magneto isn't planning anything yet."

"I doubt it," Xavier sighed. "He's out there planning something all right. I know it. We mustn't become too complacent where Magneto is concerned. Still I must admit after all we've been through, it is a nice change of pace." 

"I've been watching the news," Logan said. "Mutants are hardly even mentioned anymore. It's almost like we're back under wraps. In fact a lot of folks are blaming the Sentinel for the damage downtown."

"That is good news," Xavier nodded. "Something tells me it will be a long time before we have to worry about Sentinels again." 

"I'm more worried about the Brotherhood boys' interest in our students," Logan growled. 

"It's best not to interfere with them," Xavier told him. He was the only one who knew of Remy's defection other than Rogue. And he hoped that Kitty and Lance's relationship might steer him back to the X-Men. "Perhaps some good will come out of this." 

"I doubt it," Logan frowned. 

"We can't protect them from everything anymore," Xavier told him. "The incident with Trask and Magneto proved that. They're growing up. They have to learn to handle things on their own. I know it's difficult to sit back and do nothing, but I trust Rogue and Kitty."

"**Them **I trust, those hormone driven morons I don't!" 

"The girls can take care of themselves you know."

"That's what I'm worried about! If those morons screw up the girls are going to kill them!" Logan smirked. "I don't wanna clean up after any more murders! If I did I'd have stayed with SHIELD." 

Both chuckled. Then they heard the sound of explosions. "Speaking of which," Logan sighed. "They're at it again!" 

They watched Tabitha chase Ray around. They were both screaming and using their powers at each other. "That's the third fight this month," Logan groaned. "Yeah there's a real stable couple."

"Maybe we should get some tanks," Xavier flinched as another statue blew up. 

"Why can't they be like the Elf and his girlfriend?" Logan groaned. 

"I'm glad that it happened," Xavier said. "Kurt and Amanda's relationship is the first step towards better mutant/human relations. Perhaps we should think about letting the students tell others about us." 

"That might not be such a bad idea," Logan said. "Now that mutants are no longer a secret we need some allies. People who are willing to listen to us and help us out." 

"But we still need to be careful," Xavier reminded him. "Do you have anyone in mind?"

"Actually there is a couple of people that might help us," Logan started. An explosion interrupted him. "Then again…Maybe we should wait until those two cool down." 

They laughed quietly, enjoying the peace. Little did they realize how quickly that peace would end.

**Coming next, A shocking event rocks the world. Something not even the X-Men can change. Something that will bring one couple together and tear others apart! **


	16. Wake Up To Reality

**Wake Up To Reality**

It was a few days later when it happened. It was a Sunday morning. Most of the X-Men were just finishing breakfast. It was raining and so Evan couldn't use his skateboard. So he decided to watch what was on television. He hoped for cartoons. What he found was reality TV. 

At first he thought he was watching some kind of movie. Then he started flipping through the channels. But it was the same thing on every station. "Oh man…" Realization started to hit him. He got up and screamed. "PROFESSOR! EVERYBODY! COME QUICK! YOU GOTTA GET DOWN HERE!" 

"Evan we could hear you all over the mansion," Scott and several others came in. "What's going on?"

"This!" Evan turned up the volume of the television. 

"Again this was taken just yesterday afternoon," The newscaster intoned. It looked like an amateur video of a group of friends at the park. A few kids goofing around. Then one of the kids started to groan in agony. Then his hands caught on fire. 

Everyone watched in horror as the boy stood there in shock watching his limbs covered with fire, yet not burning. The boy stumbled backward accidentally setting a nearby tree on fire. Several people ran away screaming as the boy tried to get his hands under control. 

"A juvenile mutant set the park ablaze during an outburst of his powers," The announcer commented over the scene. "This caused over several thousand dollars worth of damage and created a panic downtown."

The scene of destruction shocked them. But they were even more shocked at what happened next. As the boy tried to put his hands out several police officers appeared, guns drawn. They were shouting at the boy to surrender. The boy tried to back away. But could not escape. The sounds of gunfire rang through the room, bringing a chill down every mutant's spine. 

"Oh god…" Kitty gasped. "They…they…just shot him!" 

"Police responded immediately," The newscaster stated. "Fatally wounding the suspect. The incident is now been officially declared a mutant related crime."

"CRIME?" Rogue shouted slamming her fist against a nearby table. "It was an accident! Any idiot looking at that tape can see it! They didn't have to kill him!" 

"My god…" Jean was shaking along with several others. "I can't believe they showed that on national TV!"

"That was horrible," Amara sobbed. "How could they do that? How could they do that?"

"He was just a kid!" Ray shouted. "They didn't have to shoot him!" 

Everyone in the room watched in stunned silence. Several kept crying silently. 

"This didn't happen," Bobby said shaking. "This is a joke…right?" 

"It did," Logan said grimly. 

"But shouldn't Cerebro have detected him or something?" Scott asked.

"A fat lot of good that would have done him," Evan growled. 

Back on the television the newscaster was talking to an 'expert' on mutations, Dr. Venter. "Dr. Venter was this an accident waiting to happen? Were there any signs of mutation in this individual's case?" 

"I'm afraid not Natalie," Dr. Venter shook his head. "In fact, contrary to what most people believe, most of the time you cannot tell if a person is a mutant just by looking at him. Oh of course there are always the obvious exaggerated individuals, if they have fur or tails or wings. But those only make up a small 10 percent of the mutant population. The rest only discover that they are mutants at puberty. In fact, without testing it is nearly impossible to find out who is a mutant by simply looking at them." 

"Interesting, so you're saying that this incident could not have been avoided?"

"Not at this time no. This is not exactly an isolated incident. When mutants first receive their powers they are unable to control them. Tragedies such as this are happening more and more frequently. For example a few months ago in Australia for example another boy set fire to his school building."

"Are you telling me that these mutants are starting to pop up all over the world?" The newscaster asked. "That this could happen anywhere at anytime?" 

"I'm afraid so," Dr. Venter nodded. "And they are happening more often than in previous years. According to government studies, which I was a part of the research project, mutations such as this usually occurred in one among every 2.4 million people for the past fifty years. Now it has been estimated that one in a two thousand will be a mutant within a matter of five years. And the numbers are growing. " 

The students simply watched in shock, unable to move or think. Logan frowned as he watched the terrified students trying to comfort each other. Then he realized Xavier was not in the room. He knew where he was. He went to Cerebro where he found Xavier at the controls. "Did Cerebro pick it up?" He asked. 

"It barely registered as a blip on Cerebro" Xavier grew pale. "There…there were five more mutant power emergences all over the world at nearly the exact same time! Maybe more!" 

"But how did it go so undetected?" Logan asked. "There was supposed to be an alarm! I thought Cerebro had an overhaul just last week?" 

"It did!" Xavier slammed his fist on the table. "But it wasn't enough! Mutants are gaining their powers faster than Cerebro can detect all of them! Even Cerebro can't detect them all! The technology just isn't there yet!"

"Even if we did detect the kid," Logan said grimly. "There wasn't enough time to go and get him, Chuck. There was nothing we could have done." 

"There should have been," Xavier shouted. He put his head in his hands. "That's another mutant's blood on my hands…" He said softly. 

************************************************************************

At the Brotherhood house the other group of mutants watched the event. "I don't believe it," Lance said over and over. "I don't believe it…" 

"I told you," Pietro sat there his face stone cold. "Magneto's right about one thing, humans will kill us as soon as they catch us. They'll never accept us." 

On the screen were the victim's parents. The father stood there in front of the reporters. "I can't believe this happened," He said. "I just hope that people don't hold us responsible for our son's…for that mutant's actions. I swear we had no idea what was going on in our home. I'm just grateful God gave us a normal child in his older brother. And that Johnny can never hurt anyone ever again." 

"Man that is just cold," John snapped. 

"He won't even get a funeral," Mystique spat. "His parents have practically disowned him on national television. His friends have turned against him. And his body's now headed for study in some government lab somewhere!" 

"Then he's better off dead," Wanda said. "Believe me, I know." 

"But why did they shoot him?" Fred asked. "I thought police were trained not to do things like that?" 

"Oh please!" Pietro snapped. "Cops have itchy trigger fingers cause some people are a different color! You really think being a mutant is any better?"

"Not all of them are like that!" Peter snapped. "Maybe just these cops panicked or something!"

"Whose side are you on?" Wanda snapped at him. 

"I was just saying…" Peter started. Mystique slapped him. 

"Idiot! This is why you can never trust normals," Mystique said. "They will kill you the minute your back is turned. Remember this day." 

"I don't think any of us can forget this," Lance said.

"Just let 'em try to come after me," John growled. "They were just lucky that time. Next time they won't be! They start coming after me, they are gonna get a surprise!" 

"You're awfully quiet," Mystique looked at Remy.

"There's not much to say is there?" He looked at her with stone cold eyes. 

Mystique's cell phone started to ring. "I have to get this," She walked into the kitchen. 

"You think the boss saw?" Lance asked Pietro.

"Without a doubt," Pietro nodded. 

"Well I hope we get some payback for that mutant," John made a fist and slammed it into his open palm. "No stinking humans are gonna push us around!" 

Mystique answered her cell phone. "Yes I saw," She said. "We all did. Everyone's in shock. What are your orders?" 

Back in his lab Magneto spoke to her. "Nothing for the moment. But they will pay for this," Magneto told her. "Mark my words. We will have vengeance." 


	17. The Big Break-Up

**The Big Break-Up**

It was all anyone at school could talk about. Sunday's events weighed on everyone's minds. Both Joe and Cobra teams had emergency meetings of their own before school started. "You know Magneto is going to do something," Alpine pointed out.

"I know," Falcon nodded. "It's what he might be planning to do that's worrying me. Bazooka, you get all the security and surveillance equipment on standby?"

"Yup," Bazooka nodded.

"Hawk sent down Breaker to monitor the kids," Gung Ho said. "He'll be hearing and watching what they say at certain locations."

"I have a hidden microphone and receiver," Alpine said. "One good thing about being a security guard is I'm not as limited as you guys. If anything's up Breaker will contact me and I'll contact all of you." 

"Everyone be on the lookout," Falcon said. "Especially with the Brotherhood. Maybe we'll get lucky and one of them will say something. It's a longshot, but it's worth a try." 

Meanwhile in another part of the school the Cobras were having their own meeting. "I was only able to tap into a few of the Joes' listening devices," Zarana said. 

"All that means is we have to be sharper than the Joes in watching them!" Zartan told her. "How is Cobra Commander taking the news?"

"He's actually pleased with this turn of events," Baroness said. "As long as nothing happens to blow our cover in Bayville, any mutant/human fiasco is actually good for Cobra. We can use the fear of the mutants to our advantage. Guyrich has already called me informing that he's set up an interview with Trask. By the end of this mission we will have not only some mutant subjects, but the plans to build an army of Sentinels!" 

"That is good news," Zandar nodded.

"Just keep your eyes open," Baroness told her team. "Something's going to happen today that will help us. I can feel it in my bones." 

************************************************************************

"Kurt!" Amanda waved to her boyfriend at lunch. She went over to the table where he was sitting with Kitty, Evan, and Rogue. They embraced. "Are you okay?" She asked.

"Ya," He nodded, hugging her back. 

"The only thing that kept going through my mind was, 'Thank God that wasn't Kurt,'" Amanda sniffed. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost you." 

"You want to sit with us?" Kitty asked. 

"Actually," Kurt looked at them. "Do you mind if we go talk awhile?"

"Go on lovebirds," Rogue rolled her eyes and they went somewhere to talk. "Five will get you ten that the talk will actually be a make out session behind the bleachers." 

"Well at least one person is on our side," Evan grumbled.

"Not so loud!" Rogue hissed. "Do you want anyone to hear you? We have got to be even more careful now than ever! Do you want a repeat of that incident here?" 

"This is really getting scary," Kitty shuddered. "About half the school thinks what happened on Sunday was actually…cool. Don't they get it? A kid died just because his powers emerged at the wrong place at the wrong time!"

"Tell me about it," Evan pointed to a table across the cafeteria where Duncan was holding court. "Matthews has been bragging about it all morning. Like he's the one who pulled the trigger. I hope Jean figures out what a jerk that guy is!" 

"Looks like she's already getting a good look," Rogue said pointing out Jean's obvious distaste.

Not far away Scott was seated with Taryn and one of her friends. "I take it you guys saw what happened on Sunday too huh?" He asked. 

"It was awful," Taryn's friend Anya said. "Why would they show something like that on television?" 

"Yeah even if he was a mutant he didn't deserve…that," Taryn shuddered. "I mean those things give me the creeps too but they could have found another way to subdue him or something. Right Scott?" 

"Of course they could have," Scott said, he was clearly frustrated. "But they were scared. What I don't get is…" 

"I can't believe you just said that!" Jean shouted loud enough to be overheard by the entire cafeteria. In fact the entire cafeteria did hear them and looked towards her and Duncan. 

"Why not?" Duncan said. "It's true!" 

"Duncan no one deserves to die like that!" Jean said. 

"Oh come on Jean," Duncan rolled his eyes. "He was a freak. It's not like he was human or anything!" 

"Of course he was human!" Jean shouted. "That's awful!"

"I can't believe you're saying that!" Duncan shouted. "You are actually sympathizing with a freak? I can't believe that I'm dating a freak lover!" 

"What I can't believe is that I've been dating Bayville High's biggest jerk for months now and never knew it!" Jean shouted. 

"That's something coming from the school's most frigid tramp!" Duncan snapped. 

"What did you say?" Jean's eyes went wide.

"You heard me!" Duncan snarled. "Don't think I haven't noticed you making eyes at Summers here! You know I didn't mind so much when you started making a play for him while you were dating me at first because it was fun to see his face when you kept coming back to me! But now it's getting old!" 

"What are you talking about?" Jean fumed.

"Oh please, the entire school knows about how you've got this little thing for Scott," Duncan said. "I see you talking to him all the time. Those little laughs. Sometimes you stop talking when I come in the room. Like you two are sharing some kind of secret. Did you really think I wouldn't notice? Especially how you keep dragging him to my parties when you knew I didn't want him there!" 

"We're friends Duncan," Jean folded her arms. "I'm tired of explaining that to you!" 

"And I'm tired of your little hissy fits," Duncan snapped. "Especially at every little thing!" 

"Uh," Monkeywrench walked over to the Baroness, who was on lunch duty. "Should we stop this?" 

"No," She replied. "Let's let this little drama play out. Think of it as intelligence gathering." 

"It is so over between us Duncan," Jean snapped. "The only reason you went out with me in the first place was because I'm popular! Just to add another trophy to your stupid ego!" 

"Oh please," Duncan snarled. "Look who's talking! I mean you weren't exactly complaining about all the attention you got hanging out with me!"

"Oh yeah some attention," Jean spat. "Until you saw any of your stupid football friends and ignored me! Just like at the Sadie Hawkins Dance! Well you are through using me Duncan! It's over! You hear me over!" 

Duncan sneered into her face. " I hate to be the one to break this to you Jean…well actually no I am going to enjoy telling you this. You're not the Queen of the school. Okay you're pretty and popular, but when it comes to the important stuff…like making out…Oh wait, we never really made out much. No big deal, I've had better. And I can get better." 

"Leave her alone Matthews!" Scott roared as he grabbed him. 

"Scott what are you doing?" Taryn shouted. "Stay out of this!"

"Yeah Summers," Duncan smirked as he wriggled out of Scott's grasp. "Come on and rescue Jean while ditching your girlfriend! Way to go Jean, you've really got him wrapped around your finger!" _Summers again! It's always Summers! I'd have had Jean in the sack by now if it wasn't for him!_

"Jean do you always have to be the center of attention?" Taryn shouted. "Scott just walk away!" _Who does she think she is? Scott why are you defending her? Can't you see she's just using you? _

"Yeah Summers what are you doing defending this freak lover?" One of Duncan's cronies shouted. _I don't care how hot her body is; no way anyone should defend one of those freaks! _

"Yeah why don't you go date a freak you witch?" One of the cheerleaders said. _This is great! Now Duncan and I don't have to sneak around any more! _

"Leave her alone!" Scott shouted. "What's wrong with not wanting to see anyone get killed on national television no matter who it is?" _What did Jean see in this guy? How could she not know what goes on in his mind when the entire school can figure it out? _

Jean looked around, startled by the random stray thoughts barraging her. Her control was slowly slipping away. Thousands of thoughts assailed her. _Tramp. Freak lover. Weirdo. What does Duncan see in her? What did she see in him? Slut…Man this is good! Give it to her! I wanted to see her get it for years! Serves her right for stringing along two guys at the same time! She's just like those other weirdoes at the Institute! What a drama queen! Who does she think she is? _

"STOP IT!" Jean screamed. "JUST STOP IT!" 

Jean ran from the cafeteria in tears. Scott ran after her. Taryn stood there in shock as her supposed boyfriend ran after her friend/rival. The entire school started buzzing. "Well I can't say I'm surprised," Lance snickered. "I'm just glad I was there to see it." 

"All right!" Pietro shouted. "Just goes to show you every cloud does have a silver lining! I thought this day would suck but that just made my day!" 

"If you ask me she got what she deserved," Fred grunted. "About time Miss Perfect got a dose of reality." 

"Amen to that brother," John nodded. "Amen to that." 

"I'm not gonna cry over that little tramp," Wanda sniffed. "The whole school knows she has feelings for Scott the whole time she was with Duncan." 

"It's Taryn I feel sorry for," Peter pointed out. Taryn was still watching where Scott had taken off after Jean. 

Anya walked over to Taryn, pulling her away. "Come on, let's get out of here." Taryn allowed her to take her away, fueling even more fire to the gossipmongers. 

"Well that was an informative piece of intelligence gathering," Monkeywrench snickered. 

"Actually I think this turn of events could prove useful," The Baroness smiled as she looked at a forlorn Taryn. "Very useful." 

**Next up, Jean learns a few lessons about love, The Baroness learns a new way to interfere with the X-Men's lives and you'll all learn the newest little plot twist my insane mind has cooked up! Hint: It has a reference to the comic version, but…Oh you'll figure it out. **


	18. Heart to Heart

**Heart to Heart**

"Jean wait!" Scott ran after her. "Are you okay? What…" 

"Scott I don't want to talk to you right now!" Jean snapped, still crying. 

"But…" Scott started to say something. 

"I think I'll take it from here," Ms. Ark appeared. She gently took Jean by the shoulders. "Why don't you go back to the lunchroom okay?" They went into an empty classroom, leaving Scott alone. 

But not for long. Anya was taking Taryn away. "Taryn!" Scott said. "I…"

"Save it!" Anya snapped. "You've done enough! How could you do that to her? I thought you cared about her?" 

"But I…" Scott started. 

"You have done enough young man!" Ms. Baron came in and gently escorted her to another empty classroom. "Come on dear, why don't we have a little girl talk? Thank you Anya." 

Scott stood there as a second door was slammed in his face. Anya sniffed haughtily and walked away. Scott went back to the cafeteria. "I just can't win," He muttered to himself. 

************************************************************************

"I feel so stupid," Jean sobbed. 

"Well maybe you were a little naive," Ms. Ark said. 

"I mean how could I have been so blind!" Jean sniffed. "I thought he was a great guy. Really I did. But all the signs were there. I mean he treated me like a possession, he ignored me at the dance to brag to his friends. He was pushy and when I heard…" She stopped herself before she revealed too much. "I…suspected he was seeing someone." 

"Love makes you see things that aren't there sometimes," Ms. Ark handed her another tissue. "Even makes you blind to other people's faults." 

"And how," Jean groaned. 

"Not to mention his looks didn't hurt," Ms. Ark sighed. "That also can blind a person. Believe me I know." 

"Yeah, that's part of the reason I went out with him in the first place." 

"Did you really love Duncan?" She asked.

Jean sat there for a minute, searching her feelings. "I guess love is a bit strong," She said. "I really liked him a lot. I mean he can be really charming. But I was never really comfortable with him. I mean I just couldn't talk to him about a lot of things." 

"Not like Scott?" 

"Well no, I…" Jean trailed off. 

"You really care about Scott don't you?" She asked.

"Is it that obvious?" Jean asked.

Ms. Ark nodded. "You're very close to him. So close that you don't even realize your feelings for him." 

"How is that possible?" 

"To be honest, I'm not that sure, but it happens," She shrugged. "Maybe because you two have been friends for such a long time. You can't imagine your life without him, but maybe it's because you don't want to damage your friendship you don't even consider your other feelings for him."

Jean sat there. "I do care a lot about Scott," She said. "I guess I never realized how much before. Duncan's nothing like Scott. He's…" 

"The total opposite? Maybe you went with him because of that. And of course Scott was jealous of that fact."

Jean sighed. "He was wasn't he? And…"

"And you liked the attention, didn't you?"

"Yeah. Yeah I did. I really screwed up didn't I?"

"Yes," Ms. Ark said. "But I think that Scott will forgive you. I suggest you two have a long talk. Clear the air about how you really feel about each other. I'm not saying it will be a perfect relationship, but I have a feeling you two will make it work." 

"I know it's just…I really don't feel like talking to anyone right now. I'm so embarrassed. I don't think I can finish school today…I just…" She started to sob.

"Well I guess I can help. This time. I'll call the Institute and have someone pick you up for today. But you're gonna have to face them all sooner or later." 

"I know but I'd rather it be later," Jean sniffed.

"Well we all need to take a tactical retreat every now and then," Ms. Ark smiled. "I'll go make the call."

"Ms. Ark?" Jean asked.

"Yes?"

"I was being a real jerk to Scott wasn't I?"

"Yes." She replied honestly. "But in my experience, some men are even more attracted to women who treat them like that."

"I don't want to be that type of person," Jean said. 

"That's a start," Ms. Ark nodded. "Look kid, nobody's perfect. Not even me. We just do the best we can. We're only human." 

Jean smiled. She felt a little better, but she knew she was going to have a lot of apologizing to do. 

************************************************************************

"I can't believe it!" Taryn sniffs. "She just snaps her fingers and Scott fawns over her like she's the Queen of the Universe or something!" 

"Well some women are like that," Ms. Baron said sympathetically. "Take it from me. I have had a lot of experience with those types of women. You can't trust anything they say when it comes to boyfriends." 

"Really?" Taryn sniffed.

"Oh I am not saying that she's evil mind you," Ms. Baron went on. "But for some women, men are merely conquests. Something to keep on a string. It's a game they like to play. Almost an addiction if I may say so. The only change here is that Duncan was smart enough to realize it."

"Yeah but then she pulls this crying act and…" Taryn sniffed.

"A perfect defense mechanism," Ms. Baron told her. "What man can help himself when he sees the girl he loves in tears? No, girls like Jean are always thinking two steps ahead of themselves. They are thinking up ways of seducing the next attractive boy even before they finish with the one they are going out with." 

"Yeah well she certainly got Scott," Taryn sniffed. 

"May I ask you a personal question?" Ms. Baron asked. "Do you love him?"

"Well…I really like Scott," Taryn said. "I mean, we haven't been together long enough to know if it was love. That's not a good answer is it?"

"On the contrary, it is an excellent one. If you had said you were head over heels in love with him I would be worried. But you Taryn are a very intelligent girl. You know enough to go into a relationship with your eyes open. That's something not many girls your age would do." 

"So you don't think I'm stupid for liking a guy that's infatuated with someone else?" 

"My dear, that sort of thing happens all the time. It's what you do about it that's important." 

"Well there's not that much I can do," Taryn blew her nose. "Scott loves Jean." 

"So what?" Ms. Baron looked at her. "You're just going to give him up without a fight?" 

"But what can I do?" Taryn asked. "If Jean is what Scott wants I can't just make him change his mind like that!" 

"It has been my experience that men don't really know what they want in life," Ms. Baron smiled. "But that they need to be guided to what they need. They're all just little boys deep down inside. They have their whims and fancies that need to be indulged, but soon they tire of them."

"So you're saying Scott will get tired of Jean and come back to me?" Taryn asked.

"Exactly," Ms. Baron smiled. "Once he realizes what a viper she really is and gets her out of his system, he will be like putty in your hands."

"But what do I do?" Taryn asked.

Ms. Baron grinned. "You just listen to me. Take my advice…and within a few months, Scott will be yours once again. Trust me." 

************************************************************************

A few hours later Logan knocked on the classroom door. "Hey Red," He said. "You're ride's here." 

"Hi Logan," Jean nodded. "Ms. Ark, this is Mr. Logan. He's one of the instructors at the Institute." 

"Actually we've met before," Ms. Ark smiled. "I believe you cut me off with your motorcycle downtown yesterday. Am I correct?"

"Uh…yeah," Logan gulped turning red. "Sorry about that. I was late for something and uh…Are you ready to go Jean?" 

"Well that depends," Ms. Ark said. "Are you going to take her in your motorcycle." 

"Uh…no. I have the car waiting for her." 

"Well in that case she is ready. But I would like a word with you about something else," Ms. Ark told him. "Jean would you mind waiting outside? This will only take a few minutes." 

"Yeah, I'll be okay," Jean sniffed. She went out of the room to the car. 

"Why don't you sit down please?" Ms. Ark motioned. Awkwardly Logan sat at one of the desks. "I wanted to discuss some of the other students with you and their progress. I realize now is the wrong time to go into details, but I'm worried about some of them, particularly Mr. Daniels and Mr. Drake." 

Logan nodded. He looked at her face and her brown eyes that sparkled. _Wow…_He thought. _That's one tough lady to make me feel this nervous. Beautiful too. Scents nice, like vanilla and almonds. Oh boy…what was she saying? Pay attention Logan! Stop staring at her! What's wrong with you? You've seen dozens of women before!_

"Are you all right?" She asked.

"Oh yeah, yeah," Logan covered. "Those two are goofing off in class. Don't worry I'll set them straight."

"Lucky guess," She raised an eyebrow. 

"Was it that obvious?" Logan groaned. 

"Pretty much," She smiled. "Maybe we should talk about this later. After things with Jean have calmed down." 

"Good idea. Thanks for watching out for her," Logan said.

"Well I'm glad she has people who are really supportive and care about her," Ms. Ark said. "Personally I think it's for the best. Mr. Matthews isn't exactly what I would call the perfect boyfriend. She's hurt and humiliated, but she'll survive and maybe she'll be a little wiser for it." 

"Yeah well I'm not exactly crying over this myself," Logan said. "Look I know this is sudden and awkward but I believe in being straight. Sometime later…would you mind going out for some coffee or something Ms. Ark?"

"Actually…yes. Yes I would like that," She smiled. "I think that would be very nice Mr. Logan." 

"Just Logan," He fidgeted. _Jeeze I feel like a kid! This is ridiculous! _"So I…um…I'll give you a call Ms…." 

"Call me Mariko," Ms. Ark smiled. 

"Mariko," Logan blinked. "Beautiful name."

"I think so," She smiled. "How about tomorrow evening. Around seven?" 

"Uh yeah," Logan blinked again. "I'll um…pick you up," He got up and went for the door. "I'll see you then. Mariko. Seven right."

"Do you want to know where I live?" She asked wryly. 

"That would help," Logan admitted. 

"How about I meet you at the Sunset Café on the edge of town?" She smiled.

"I know where that is," Logan said. "I'll see you then…uh…Bye." He beat a hasty retreat.

Ms. Ark smiled to herself. _Oh man! He is gorgeous! Well, so I go out with him once. I'm through with Falcon anyway. It's not going to change anything or hurt the mission…_She smiled to herself again, giddy with anticipation. 


	19. Everybody's Talking

**Everybody's Talking**

"I can't believe what just happened!" Rogue said to Kurt and Amanda.

"I can't believe we missed it," Amanda groaned. "I mean it's been coming for a long time. I've been waiting for her to dump that jerk and I missed it!"

"Yeah well Duncan made it out like he dumped her," Rogue spat. "Creep!" 

"Rogue!" Risty waved as she came over. "Hey girlfriend! What's new?"

"Besides Jean and Duncan having the breakup of the century?" Kurt asked. 

"I heard all about it!" Risty said. "I only wish I had first period lunch so I could have seen it myself!"

"Risty!" Rogue snapped. "I know Jean lays it on a little thick sometimes with the popularity, but she didn't deserve to be humiliated by that!" 

"Please," Risty sniffed. "I mean look how fast Scott jumped to her rescue. How much you want to be those two will be on a date by the end of the week?" 

"Well hopefully some good will come from that," Amanda said. "I mean it's way past due those two getting together." 

"Hey Risty what happened to your arm?" Kurt looked at the cast on Risty's arm. 

"Oh that," Risty shrugged. "I got into a minor accident when I was home visiting my grandmother. It looks a lot worse than it really is." 

Rogue looked at her. "How did you know Scott went after her?" 

"The grapevine silly!" Risty rolled her eyes. "You know how fast gossip travels around here. Come on, we've got to get to class!" She grabbed Rogue by the arm and they went off. "See you two love birds later!" 

"I didn't know Risty went home to England," Amanda said. 

"Yah," Kurt nodded. "Her grandmother was really sick so she had to go home and stuff. We'd better get to class also. We're running late enough as it is!" They took off. 

Walking along the other side of the corridor was Scott. He was lost in his own thoughts so much he nearly ran into Paul. "Whoa!" Scott stopped. "Sorry." 

"Hey no big deal," Paul said. He made off to walk away. 

Scott said. "How's it going? I haven't seen you around much lately."

"Oh…been busy. You know how it is," Paul shrugged. He was about to leave, then thought better of it. "I uh, heard about Jean." 

"Yeah it was a real bad scene," Scott ran his hand through his hair. "I hope she's okay."

"Hey don't worry," Paul said. "It's about time she came to her senses anyway! So I guess um… you're breaking up with Taryn huh?" 

"I don't know," Scott groaned. "I mean we were going to probably do it anyway and now…but if I do I'll feel like such a jerk and I don't want to hurt her feelings. But on the other hand I want to be there for Jean and …Agggh! I don't know how all this got so complicated, you know?" 

"Actually I have a pretty good idea. How things get complicated that is," Paul sighed. "I mean you think you know…how things are and everything changes." 

"Sounds like you're going through some pretty rough stuff as well," Scott said.

"Me? Oh no. I just…you know. Normal grades and hassles and stuff. Look Scott, if you wanna talk, I um…I'll listen you know." 

"Yeah well I gotta get to class, but thanks for the offer," Scott said. "Hey how about we hang later on okay?" 

"Cool," Paul waved. "Later dude." 

They went their separate ways. Not far away Remy and Peter were talking alone. "I don't know," Peter sighed.

"You said yourself you knew something was wrong," Remy whispered. 

"I know but what you're talking about is treason!" Peter looked around. 

"Is it?" Remy hissed. "The man altered most of our memories and killed Toad for no reason. The only person he is loyal to is himself!"

"I'll think about it and I won't tell anyone about this," Peter said. "That's all I can promise for now." 

"Fair enough," Remy sighed. "Let's get to class. WHOA!" He dodged a basketball that flew out of the gym. 

"What's going on?" Peter yelped as several basketballs flew out of the gym. 

"It looks like the little war between the gym teachers is still going on," Remy chuckled.

"It's gonna get worse," Peter groaned. "I saw the schedule. Tomorrow they're starting street hockey." 

"Oh boy," Remy groaned. "That's going to be fun!" 

"Hey you two!" Principal Kelly shouted. "Get to class!" 

"Uh sir I don't think you should stand there," Peter indicated the open door.

"What are you babbling about? What the heck?" Kelly looked around and saw a dozen basketballs headed his way. He was hit by several of them in various places. "Ow…" He fell to the ground. 

"Uh oh…" Mr. Falcone and Ms. Rafael gulped as they peeked out of the gym. Remy and Peter made themselves scarce. 

"Uh kids who wants extra credit?" Ms. Rafael said. 

"All you gotta do is not tell anybody what happened," Mr. Falcon explained as they went back into the gym. Kelly lay there unconscious on the floor. 

Later on that day Scott bumped into Taryn. "Taryn!" He gasped in shock. "I uh…look I'm sorry about what happened in the caf this afternoon. But I just couldn't just stand by and…" 

"And Jean's your friend," Taryn sighed. 

"Yeah," Scott felt incredibly guilty. "Taryn I…"

"You're in love with her aren't you?" 

"Uh…huh?" Scott was flabbergasted. 

"Look I'm not gonna make this any harder than it has to be," Taryn said sweetly. "I understand. Personally I think you're making a mistake but…Hey. If that's what you want. I only hope Jean appreciates you as much as I do." 

"I…uh…" Scott blinked. 

"Look we can still be friends if you want," Taryn said.

"Um…yeah," Scott scratched his head. "That…that would be nice."

"Look if you need anything, even just to talk," Taryn shrugged. "I'm here for you. I mean that." 

"Um…Thanks," Scott said, surprised on how well this was going. "I'd appreciate that."

"Yeah well I gotta go," Taryn walked away and into the girl's bathroom. 

"How'd it go?" Anya asked. 

"That was the hardest thing I ever had to do," Taryn sniffed, trying to hold the tears inside.

"Come on now," Anya held her shoulder. "Remember the plan. You're supposed to be supportive. If you carry on in front of him Jean will only use that against you." 

"I know, I know," Taryn nodded. 

"Don't worry, Ms. Baron's old. She knows what she's talking about," Anya said as they walked out of the bathroom. "Between the three of us, we'll get you back together with Scott for sure!" 

They walked past Kitty at her locker. Lance hesitantly came up to her. "Kitty?" Lance asked. "How are you doing?"

"Holding up, you know," She shrugged. "It's really scary, you know?"

"Yeah," Lance looked around. "I know. Damn norms. They're gonna pay for that!" 

"What do you mean?" Kitty asked. 

"Never mind," Lance tried to change the subject. "Forget I said anything."

"I won't forget it Lance what did you mean by that?" Kitty asked.

"Look don't worry about it okay?" Lance said. "Magneto will take care of it, that's all."

"What you do mean 'Magneto will take care of it'?" Kitty's voice grew louder and angrier. 

"Forget I said that will you?" Lance looked around again. "I mean…Come on Kitty you really didn't think he wouldn't find out about what happened there? We're not just gonna stand by while mutants get killed for simply being who they are!"

"Lance revenge isn't the answer!" Kitty told him. "It's not going to do any good!"

"Wanna bet?" Lance snapped. "Believe me Kitty we know what we're doing. After we're done people will think twice before gunning mutants down again!" 

"If you do people will want to kill mutants even more!" Kitty grabbed his arm. "Lance don't do this!"

"Kitty calm down," Lance pulled his arm away. "We're not gonna kill anybody or anything like that! We're just gonna give those goons a message that's all! Look Magneto knows what he's doing! He's right. Magneto's always right about stuff like this." 

"No he isn't!" Kitty snapped. "Was he right when he killed Toad?"

"Magneto didn't kill Toad. Mystique did." 

"Wrong Lance! He did! You just don't remember because Magneto did something to your minds to think that!" 

"Hey if anybody's minds are being warped it's yours! Last I checked Xavier and Jean are the only ones who can change memories around here!" Lance snapped. "Besides you weren't even there! So don't go making up stuff that isn't true!" He stormed away.

"Lance!" Kitty called after him and stamped her foot. 

Risty walked up to her. "Trouble in paradise?" 

"None of your business!" Kitty snapped as she walked out of the hallway. 

Risty smirked and changed her shape to Mystique. "Oh I'm afraid it is my business dear," she cackled and changed into a bird, flying out an open window. 

Bazooka stuck his head out from behind the lockers where he observed everything. "Uh oh…" He gulped and ran to find the other Joes. 

Not long after he left a figure emerged from his hiding place. Zartan had used his mutant ability to camouflage himself against the wall so he could spy on the students better. "Well this is fun," He chuckled. "High school really is educational!" 

**What happens next? I'm not really sure myself. Oh well it will be fun to find out won't it? **

And yes, in the TV show Zartan has the ability to camouflage himself. (For those of you who don't know GI Joe.) So I figure he is some kind of mutant. His only drawback is that he can't stand sunlight. It robs him of his natural abilities and turns him into a blue color. I suspect by this time Cobra's developed some kind of sun block that he wears now to prevent this. 

Hmmm…this gives me an idea! He, He….


	20. I Spy

****

I Spy

"You mean those kids are going to have a rumble on the school grounds?" Alpine shouted when he heard the news. Falcon and Gung Ho were also there in a classroom on the second floor. Jinx was off on a side mission to the Brotherhood House and Mainframe was nowhere to be found. 

"Uh huh," Bazooka panted. "After school…" 

"Great," Falcon groaned. "We gotta stop those kids from mixing it up before they tear the building apart! Let's move!" 

The bell rang signaling the final bell. The four Joes watched frantically as the students filed out of the building as well as half the teacher population. "There's the Brotherhood!" Alpine pointed out the window. They were headed to the football field. 

"Yeah and guess who's going over to join them!" Gung Ho pointed to the X-Men starting to leave the building from another exit. "Oh man almost all of them are there! Even the new kids! Great!" 

"It looks like they're taking their time though," Falcon noticed. "Waiting until all the students are gone."

"Well judging by the way most of them are burning rubber out of the parking lot I'd say they won't have that much of a wait," Alpine said. "We gotta head 'em off at the pass before they catch up to the Brotherhood." 

"What pass?" Bazooka scratched his head. 

"Come on lamebrain!" Alpine groaned as they started to leave the classroom. 

Unfortunately The Baroness, and most of her team walked into the door, blocking their exit. "Going somewhere gentlemen?" 

"Take cover!" Falcon and his team dove behind some desks as Monkeywrench drew his weapon and started firing at them. 

"Knock it off you maniac!" Gung Ho shouted. "If we start a gunfight in here all our covers will be blown!"

"He's right!" Zartan grabbed Monkeywrench's arm. "Knock it off you fool! Do you want someone to hear us?" 

"Well that's why I put the silencer on!" Monkeywrench told him. "OW!" He screamed when Zartan hit him on the head. 

"We have to find a quieter way to stop them!" Baroness snapped. "No guns! Figures the one time I leave home without my switchblade and poison gas capsules!" 

"We'll just have to do it the old fashioned way then!" Zandar slammed his fist into his open palm. 

"Right," Monkeywrench snickered. "Longer we keep 'em here, the better our chances are for smoking out those freaks!" 

"Don't tell them the plan you moron!" Baroness groaned. 

"Hey Baroness!" Gung Ho heaved an eraser at her. "Catch!" 

"AGGH!" She gasped when it hit her head and sneezed at the chalk dust. 

"IT'S AN ERASER ATTACK!" Zartan shouted. 

"I can see that you fool!" The Baroness choked on the eraser dust. "Throw something back at them! Pencils! Staplers! More Erasers! Anything!" They did so. Soon both parties were throwing all sorts of objects across the room at each other, trashing the place.

"This is ridiculous! I'm calling for backup! Zarana! Come in Zarana!" Zartan shouted into his communicator.

"Mainframe!" Falcon shouted into his. "Come in Mainframe!" 

"Mainframe here!" Mainframe responded on his.

"What do you want?" Zarana shouted into hers.

"What!" Zartan shouted at the communicator. "Where's my sister Joe!"

"Zarana?" Falcon gasped.

"Oops," Mainframe's voice came over Zarana's communicator. 

"Give me that Joe!" Zarana shouted. There were sounds of some kind of struggle. "Uh…don't worry Zartan! I've got the Joe right where I want him! Uh…Zarana out!" 

"Well at least she's occupying that one Joe," Baroness said, not knowing what was really going on. 

"That's one way of putting it," Zandar snickered behind her back. Zartan rolled his eyes to the ceiling. 

On the other side Falcon was trying to figure out what was going on. "Mainframe what's going on?" 

"Uh…sorry about that! Little mix up there. We must have switched communicators during the struggle!" Mainframe's voice came on the right communicator. "Don't worry! I have it under control!"

"Do you need backup?" Falcon asked.

"NO!" Mainframe said. "Uh…No! I have everything under control. She's not going anywhere for a while…."

"Look Cobra's running amok!" Falcon shouted. "Get down here now!"

"Uh that may be a problem…I gotta get something first."

"No excuse mister! Now! ASAP!" Falcon shouted. 

"Okay okay!" Mainframe turned his off. He turned to Zarana. "Have you seen my pants?" 

Meanwhile Monkeywrench was clearly getting frustrated. "What kind of sissy fight is this? There aren't even any explosions! This will get rid of them!" He grabbed a grenade and tossed it at the Joes. 

"NO YOU IDIOT!" Zartan shouted. Too late, Monkeywrench threw the grenade over to the Joes. " The room's too small for an explosion that big! We're all gonna be killed!" 

"RUN FOR IT!" Zandar screamed as the Cobras ran out of the room. 

"Oh no we won't!" Gung Ho grabbed the grenade. 

"Throw it!" Falcon shouted. Gung Ho tossed it out the window. 

It landed in a certain principal's car. 

Kelly was just walking outside when his car exploded into a million pieces. He just stood there in shock with his jaw wide open. He didn't notice the Cobras running out of the building. 

"Great aim," Alpine grumbled as the Joes ran down the stairs.

"Shut up!" Gung Ho snarled. "Oh man, the kids are already there!" 

"Maybe the explosion will distract them?" Falcon gasped as they ran into the parking lot.

"I doubt it!" Alpine said as he ran. 

"For the last time Alvers what are you goons planning to do?" Scott's voice could be heard across the field. 

"Let's just keep it a surprise shall we?" Lance sneered. "What are you gonna do about it?" 

"We're gonna beat it out of you that's what we're gonna do!" Tabitha's screamed. 

"Here we go!" Falcon groaned as he felt a slight tremor. 

"We gotta stop 'em!" Alpine said.

"How do we do that without blowing our cover?" Gung Ho asked.

"Good question," Falcon said. "Any ideas anybody? Bazooka how about…? Bazooka? Where are you?"

"Where did that idiot go?" Alpine groaned. 

"What's that noise?" Gung Ho noticed a strange sound. "It sounds like an ice cream truck."

"It is an ice cream truck," Alpine pointed out. "And guess who's driving!" 

"Ice cream!" Bazooka shouted as he drove onto the field between the two mutant teams. "Get your ice cream nice and cold!"

"Now how did he…?" Alpine scratched his head. 

"Ice cream!" Bazooka stopped the truck in front of the amazed mutants. "Anybody want free ice cream?" 

"Ooh! I'll have some!" Fred gleefully raised his hand.

"Shut up!" Lance snapped.

"You shut up!" Fred sniffed. "I'm getting free ice cream!" 

"Hey I'll have some of that," Peter said taking some from Bazooka. 

"Hey we're kind of in the middle of something here," Scott said. 

"Well it's not like you guys were gonna fight or anything," Bazooka said.

"Uh….no. No not fighting. Definitely not that," Several nervous students fidgeted. 

"Hey what are you doing Alvers?" Scott shouted.

"I'm getting ice cream what's it to you?" Lance snapped. "Got any Rocky Road?"

"Yeah we can beat these jerks anytime," Remy said. "Free ice cream comes along only once in a while! You got any Strawberry Blast?" 

"Hey is that the cops?" Fred pointed out. "What's that fire?"

"What did you idiots do?" Rogue snapped.

"Wasn't us," John said. 

"Don't look at me," Tabitha said. "I didn't do it!" 

"Uh maybe now is not the best time to talk about this," Remy said. "Let's take the ice cream and run!" 

"This isn't over," Scott fumed. "Come on guys let's go."

"But what about our free ice cream?" Evan asked.

"Get outta here!" Scott shoved him along. Both X-Men and Brotherhood retreated. 

The Joes stood there with shocked looks on their faces. "I don't know why you guys are so surprised," Bazooka said. "Ice cream always makes everything better." 

Back at the apartments where the Joes were headquartered the team conferred on the recent turn of events. "I saw it, but I still don't believe it!" Alpine groaned. "Where did you get an ice cream truck that fast?" 

"I uh…borrowed it," Bazooka gulped. He held out an ice cream treat. "Fudgesicle?" 

"I don't want to know," Falcon groaned. He saw Mainframe come in. "Where were you?" 

"Uh…Zarana kinda had me tied up," Mainframe gulped. 

"What do you…" Falcon started to ask but Jinx came in carrying a box of things. 

"Well I'm back," Jinx said. 

"What do you have there Jinx?" Falcon asked. 

"Some of Toad's stuff Roadblock asked me to pick up," Jinx showed him. "I figured I'd do that while I used the opportunity to place a listening bug in the Brotherhood Boarding house. What happened to you guys?"

"Don't ask," Alpine groaned. "Let's just say Bazooka saved the day with ice cream."

"And Gung Ho blew up Kelly's car," Bazooka added. 

"Well this has been an eventful day," Jinx sighed. "So much for keeping Bayville High a nice quiet school."

"Hey it would have been a lot worse if things had escalated," Falcon told her. "So a car blew up and a classroom was trashed. Big deal, it could have been a destroyed school and a mutant streetfight." 

"It's still gonna be tricky tomorrow with Kelly," Alpine groaned. "We have to invent an excuse or something."

"Tell me about it," Falcon nodded. "Speaking of excuses, hey Jinx I'm sorry about what happened the other day. You were right. It was unprofessional of me. So how about we go out tomorrow night?" 

"Oh brother," Gung Ho rolled his eyes. 

"Forget it Falcon," Jinx said. "It's over. I have a date with someone else."

"Oh I get it," Falcon smirked. "You're trying to make me jealous. Okay, okay if that's the way you want to play it." 

"It's not a game Falcon! I'm serious. It's over."

"It's always over every other week," Alpine told her.

"This time I mean it," She said. 

"Fine, fine," Falcon shrugged. "Hey it doesn't bother me. So why don't you go have fun on your 'date' and maybe later we'll hook up."

"There isn't going to be a later you…"

"Excuse me," Mainframe interrupted. "As much as I'd love to keep watching this, We have some news from the Brotherhood House. Breaker's got something." 

"What is it?" Falcon asked.

"The Brotherhood is planning on doing something in Chicago this weekend," Mainframe reported. "In retaliation for Sunday's events. I don't know what yet."

"This is not good," Alpine frowned. "If they start something hostilities against mutants will escalate. So what do we do? We can't go to Chicago; it'll blow our cover. Maybe another Joe team?" 

"They're all busy," Jinx said. "And there is no one else that can handle mutants yet! Not even SHEILD." 

"We can have Hawk contact some people in Chicago," Falcon sighed. "But that's all we can do. I just hope whatever Magneto's planning, those X-Kids can handle it." 


	21. What Happened to My Car?

**What Happened To My Car?**

"HOW COULD NO ONE SEE WHAT HAPPENED TO MY CAR?" Kelly screamed. He turned to the assembled group of teachers before him. Not to mention his janitor, security guard and the one cafeteria worker who was also behind after school.

"Uh…I was investigating a stolen ice cream truck that was left on the premises," Mr. Pine said. "I couldn't catch the perps. But I did get the truck back to the rightful owner."

"Well good for you," Kelly snapped. "Well what about the rest of you?"

"I was grading papers," Mr. Parker said. 

"I was helping him!" Ms. Rafael said quickly. "I mean you of all people should know how teachers help each other out. Even secretaries…."

"Okay, okay!" Kelly said quickly. "I take it the rest of you were working as well?" The other teachers agreed. "What about you two?" He looked at the Janitor and cafeteria worker. 

"Uh…installing new pipes," Bazooka Dave said.

"I was helping him!" Mr. Wrench spoke up.

"Well whoever threw that grenade couldn't have been from this school," Mr. Falcon sighed. 

"How did you know it was a grenade?" Kelly looked at him. 

"Police report," Mr. Pine said. "He was with me when I got the police report." 

"But why would anyone throw a grenade at my car?" Kelly groaned. 

"Gang activity," Mr. Pine spoke up.

"Oh yeah gangs!" Everyone in the room spoke up. "Gangs. Gotta be gangs. Definitely not mutants or terrorists. Gangs." 

"You're right," Kelly snapped. "It was gang activity all right! Only two gangs are here at this school, the Brotherhood and the Institute Kids!" 

"Well then it has to be the Brotherhood then," Mr. LaFitte spoke up. 

"Listen bub if anybody was responsible it was those Institute Kids!" Ms. Rafael shouted.

"Yeah stop picking on the Brotherhood!" Mr. Rafael shouted.

"Brotherhood can't even afford grenades," Mr. Tanzar pointed out.

"They could have stolen them," Mr. Falcone snapped. "Or made their own." 

"Oh yeah right," Mr. Wrench snapped. "You blokes know how hard it is to get the right materials for a blast that big? Uh…so I've heard." 

"I agree," Ms. Baron said. "The Brotherhood is not that ambitious. The Institute Kids on the other hand…"

"Hey leave them out of this!" Ms. Ark snapped. 

"Oh please," Mr. Tanzar snapped. "Everybody knows that those Institute Kids aren't the goody goods they pretend to be!" 

"Yeah well those Brotherhood Brats are nothing but trouble!" Mr. Parker snapped. 

"Oh and the Institute Kids aren't?" Ms. Baron snapped. 

"Yeah at least the Brotherhood is more honest!" Mr. Wrench shouted.

"They are not!" Bazooka Dave said.

"Are too!" Mr. Wrench stuck out his tongue.

"Are not!" Bazooka Dave made a face.

"Shut up!" Kelly shouted. "Does anyone have any proof which one of them did it?"

"Well no…" Mr. Pine said.

"Well then it's time we laid down the law!" Kelly shouted. "I have had it with this school! No more insanity! No more craziness! Dorothy! I want you to get all of them in here right now!" 

"You're not going to suspend them are you?" Ms. Baron said. "I mean you can't do that without proof! The lawyers will have a field day!"

"Oh no, I am not going to do that!" Kelly said. "But I am going to inform them that the days of their shenanigans are over! I'll just scream at them for a few hours and tell them that the next one of them caught fooling around will get suspended! And all academic privileges suspended as well! If it wasn't for all the money Xavier put into this school I'd have expelled the whole lot of them long ago!" 

"Maybe we should all keep an eye on them?" Ms. Baron said. 

"That is the first sensible idea I have heard all day," Kelly groaned. "All of you out! I have some students to scream at!"

They all went to their respective classrooms. Guyrich caught up with Ms. Baron. "What happened? Was it the mutants?"

"For once, no," She told him. "We were trying to remove the government agents. There was a bit more resistance than we thought."

"Oh great!" Guyrich groaned. 

"Don't worry," She said. "We just have to take a different tactic that's all. Oh by the way, something big is going to go down in Chicago this weekend. The mutants are going to retaliate for what happened there."

"What are they going to do?" 

"I don't know that yet. But whatever it is, get your people ready. I think we can use this to our advantage! I'll tell you more later," She told him before heading off to class. 

**So what happens in Chicago? I have no clue. Writing action sequences are tough! But I do know this, prepare for some surprises! **


	22. The Chicago Incident

**I'm telling you right now, I hate writing action sequences. Basically I'm not very good at it. You're gonna have to use your imaginations for some of this! **

**The Chicago Incident**

"THIS IS INTOLERABLE!" Magneto screamed at the Brotherhood. What was left of them. 

They tried to avoid his gaze. Except for Wanda. She stared at him in open defiance. "It wasn't our fault," She told him. 

Magneto decided to ignore her for now. "You Alvers," He spat. "You had to open your big mouth to that X-Girl didn't you? It's your fault they found out! It's your fault the mission failed!"

"No it wasn't! Blame that on the traitor Gambit!" Pietro spoke up. 

**Flashback*******

It was early in Chicago. Magneto had taken the entire team. "So this is the place?" Gambit said as they looked over the Chicago Police Armory. "Impressive." 

"So was you getting the plans for me," Magneto told him. The entire Brotherhood was assembled on top of a nearby building. "Yes I am pleased."

Pietro frowned. Magneto would rather praise a dead rat over his own son. Well, he'd show Magneto just what he was capable of. The plan was simple, get the weapons from the armory then trash the building. Or that was what he thought.

When they got in immediately Pietro picked up something. It had been too easy to get into the building. There were no guards in sight. And when they went to find the weapons they were gone. Instead they found the X-Men ready for them. 

It was easy to take out Spyke with his speed. In fact they were all doing quite well battling them. Until Magneto gave Pietro the order to put the bomb in place and set it off. He did that and saw Magneto had the X-Men all trapped under bits of steel girders. He moved away to tell Magneto that the bomb was set and everything was going to plan. 

Then that traitor Gambit disarmed the bomb and set off those playing cards at them. What was worse, Colossus snuck up behind Scarlet Witch and Avalanche and knocked them out before Magneto figured out what was going on. This distracted Magneto enough to allow the X-Men to escape. 

Enraged, Magneto attacked the two traitors with all his might. He sent several shards of metal hurling at Gambit. One of them caught him in the shoulder. Colossus attacked him, intending to knock him down, but that proved to be not the brightest move a man with armored skin could make. Magneto used his powers to grab Colossus's body. Colossus screamed in agony as Magneto used his powers on him to rupture and stretch his metal body.

"CHANGE BACK!" Gambit screamed. "HE CAN'T HURT YOU AS MUCH IN YOUR NORMAL FORM! CHANGE BACK!" 

Peter did so, but it was too late. He lay at Magneto's feet in a heap. An alarm sounded somewhere. Magneto glared at the X-Men and his two former henchmen. "This is not over fools!" He hissed. "So you still choose to side with the humans? So be it! I'll spare the rest of you for now. If only for you to reflect on the torments I will inflict on you to come!" 

He withdrew. Pietro took Wanda, and Fred slung Lance over his shoulder. They retreated back to Bayville in silence. When they returned to the Brotherhood House and the two woke up, Mystique then decided to spill the beans on how Lance was still seeing Kitty. This made him livid. 

Pietro knew he was taking a huge risk confronting his father, but he couldn't bear to lose another friend like he had lost Toad. "Think about it! It must have been Gambit who told them of the plans all along! Why do you think they were ready for us? He got the plans in the first place! It must have been him!" 

Of course Magneto still needed a scapegoat. "This debacle is partly your fault Quicksilver! As team leader you should have been better prepared!" 

"It wasn't my fault!" Pietro shouted. "**You **recruited them remember? I wouldn't be surprised if Gambit was a traitor all along!" 

"Yeah don't blame Lance or Pietro," Wanda snarled. "It's all Gambit's fault! He's the traitor! Along with that backstabber Colossus! They're the ones who told them of our plans. Lance may be an idiot, but he's loyal! Unlike some as we've clearly seen!" 

Magneto's temper subsided. "For once Wanda you are correct," He said in an even tone. "There have been far too many defections to the X-Men." He shot a glare at Lance. "It's time we rethink our strategies. You like annoying the X-Men? Here are your new orders. Until further notice I want all of you to harass them at school. I want to hear how at least one of them suffers or is inconvenienced every day. Especially the traitors!" 

"I don't think Pete's gonna show up at school anytime soon after the pounding you gave him boss," John sniggered.

"That's nothing compared to what I have planned for all the defectors," Magneto said. "But first I have to leave for a while and do some more recruiting. Mystique, you are in charge until I return. I need to speak to you for a moment. The rest of you get out of my sight!" 

They did so. Pietro sighed as they went upstairs. "Thanks," Lance said softly to Pietro.

"You can thank me by getting some brains," Pietro hissed. "Your infatuation with that X-Geek's gonna get you in trouble Lance. Mark my words. Just forget her!" 

"Hey look we made the news!" John had snuck a television into his room and they all went to see what was being reported. 

"In Chicago today police thwarted a small band of mutants that had threatened to retaliate against the police after last Sunday's shooting of a mutant," The reporter said. "The mutants are now in custody in a secure location."

"What a total load of crap!" Lance spat. "The cops did squat! They just hid like cowards and let the X-Jerks do all the work! And they took the credit!"

"Naturally," Pietro snapped. "Do you really think that they'd let it known publicly that mutants were responsible for protecting humans from other mutants? I have trouble believing it myself!"

"Yeah they want to keep the public thinking that mere humans can keep us freaks under control," John hissed. "So naturally they'd lie about keeping a few mutants in custody."

"Well maybe they did," Fred scratched his head. "Maybe they picked up a few X-Jerks?"

"Fat chance," Wanda snapped. 

************************************************************************

Downstairs Magneto was watching the news as well. "Fools," He hissed. "It's a good thing I sent Sabertooth alone on the back up mission. They think they are so safe. Ha! By tomorrow they will see how wrong they really are!" 

Mystique looked at him. "You have new orders for me?" She asked.

"Yes," Magneto nodded. "I was hoping to postpone Project Evolution until later. When we were in a more controlled environment. However, considering the circumstances…" He handed her an envelope. You know what to do. Remember they must not know about the experiment. I suggest that you perform the injections while they are asleep." 

"With Dukes I'm going to have to feed his to him," Mystique said.

"No," Magneto said. "We will use him as the control. Compare his progress to the rest of theirs. He is the strongest anyway. If the enhancements are successful, we will find a way to use them on him as well."

"When do you want me to start?" Mystique asked. "Tonight?"

"Yes," Magneto told her. "Make sure they are all asleep. Then inject them with the formula. All except Blob of course and this…" He handed her a vial. "Is a special one for Avalanche." 

"This one?" She looked at the contents. She looked a little nervous. "Are you sure? It's been untested so far."

"Alvers has the most hidden potential," Magneto told her. "My daughter is already too powerful for her own good, and my son is loyal, but …not as effective as I had hoped. The regular drugs will suffice on them and the others. Just don't lose any more of them Mystique. Do what you have to do or else. Have I made myself clear?" 

"Very clear sir." 

**Uh oh…What is Project Evolution? What will the drugs do to the Brotherhood? What does that special drug do? What will happen to Lance? What happened to Gambit and Colossus? Did they survive? What was Sabertooth's mission? Will the Joes and the Cobras find out Magneto's plans? What will the Brotherhood do when they go back to school? Wait and see. **


	23. Behind the Scenes

**Behind the Scenes**

"That sick twisted…bastard," Breaker, the Joe operative growled. He had turned on the speaker so that Falcon could hear. "He's even gonna dope his own kids!"

"Yeah this guy could give Cobra Commander a good run for the title of Craziest Nutjob," Falcon grumbled. 

"We gotta do something!" Breaker told him.

"What?" Falcon said. "We can't exactly call the Dept. of Social Services on them! If we tried to remove them it would be a disaster, for everyone! Besides do you really think those kids would believe us if we told them?" 

"But we just can't let him do that to those kids!" Breaker protested.

"I know," Falcon sighed. "If we could somehow find out exactly what drugs Mystique's giving them then maybe…" 

Something crackled on the mike. "And what is this?" Magneto's voice came over the wire. A bit too clearly.

"Uh oh," Breaker gulped. 

"Very ingenious Charles," Magneto chuckled as he destroyed the microphone. "I didn't know you had it in you." The sounds of something being destroyed came over and the mike went dead. 

"Oh great," Breaker groaned. "There goes our info!" 

"Well at least he doesn't know it's us," Falcon sighed. "I just hope he doesn't gloat about it to Xavier. Then they'll both start looking around and that will make all of our lives even more complicated!" 

"I just hope the X-Men don't start wondering why there weren't any weapons or cops in the building! We shouldn't have told the police that the X-Men were really a special unit of ours," Breaker grunted. 

"We had no choice," Falcon said. "At least that cover story we made up will keep people from overreacting. People just aren't ready to accept that there are some mutants willing to protect them from other mutants. Unfortunately." 

"It's a shame," Breaker shook his head. "They did pretty good against them."

"Mostly because of Gambit and Colossus," Falcon said. "I hope those kids are okay." 

************************************************************************

The X-Men stared at Peter's body in the medical ward. He was unconscious and bandaged heavily. "He's in a coma," Hank told them. "I don't know when or if he'll wake up." 

"This is my fault," Remy said, his arm in a sling. "I shouldn't have talked him into this. I should have listened to destiny."

"No it's not," Rogue put her hand on his good shoulder. "You did the right thing. Peter made his own choice. You didn't force him into anything." 

"It still doesn't change how I feel," Remy frowned. 

"Well at least we stopped Magneto," Scott sighed. "And no civilians or cops were hurt." He looked at Xavier. "You knew about this didn't you?"

Xavier nodded. "I admit I was skeptical when Remy approached Rogue. But yes, he is the one who told us of Magneto's plans." 

"Well that means he's one of us now right?" Kitty asked.

Rouge looked at him. Remy looked into her eyes. "Yes," Remy nodded. "I can't stand by and allow Magneto to terrorize people. He's too dangerous. I only wish I had figured that out sooner." 

"Don't worry man," Evan told him. "We'll get him someday." 

"This isn't over you know," Remy sighed. "Magneto and the Brotherhood aren't just gonna let what happened in Chicago go." 

"Hey how come there weren't any cops or weapons in the building?" Evan asked. "Did you warn someone there?" 

"No just you guys," Remy frowned. "That is strange. That building was full of weapons and swarming with cops the other day. Then they all disappear like that." 

"Well someone must have tipped them off," Scott said. "Was it you Professor?" 

"No," Xavier shook his head. "I…." He closed his eyes suddenly. 

"What is it?" Ororo asked. 

"I just had a mental message from Magneto," Xavier said. "A very interesting one. Something is going on under our noses. But what I have no clue…" 


	24. The Brotherhood Strikes Back

**The Brotherhood Strike Back**

"Your shoulder still hurt?" Rogue asked as she helped Remy with his books.

"Just a bit," Remy shrugged with his good shoulder. "I think you kiss it and make it better no?"

"No," Rogue smirked. "Are you sure you're gonna be all right?"

"Don't worry so much," Remy smiled. "Gambit can take good care of himself. I even hid some clothes and stuff so I wouldn't have to go back to the Brotherhood house for my things."

"Well I still think…" Rogue started to say something when a huge belly blocked her way. "Out of my face you yahoo!" She sneered at Fred.

"What's your hurry Rogue?" Pietro zipped up behind them. 

"Get out of her way," Remy fumed. 

"No problem," John appeared behind them. "It's you we wanna have a word with anyway!" 

"Take your hands off you big ape!" Remy flinched as Fred shoved him into the lockers. 

"If you don't the gloves come off!" Rogue snarled taking a glove off her hand. 

"Go ahead Rogue," Pietro sneered. "Why not show off your powers to the whole school?" 

"Rogue don't do anything!" Remy snapped. "That's what they want!"

"Actually what we want is your head on a platter mate," John snarled. "The Brotherhood don't take too kindly to traitors!" 

"You think you're safe because you ditched us for your girlfriend?" Pietro snapped. "Think again."

"Actually I left because your father is a self obsessed egomaniac," Remy sneered. "Must run in the family." 

"Uh oh," John looked over and saw Mr. Pine coming over. "It's the fuzz man!" 

"Consider this a friendly reminder," Pietro sneered. "We'll talk later." They took off before the Security man got there.

"You kids okay?" He asked.

"Yeah we're fine," Remy said. "Just a little fooling around. That's all. Come on Rogue we got to get to class." 

"You should have reported them," Rogue told him when they were away from the security guard.

"That wouldn't solve anything," Remy told her. "We'll be okay."

"Just do me a favor please," Rogue said. "I know you like to play macho tough guy but don't wander alone anywhere. At least while you're injured, okay."

"Humph! Only time they dare hassle me is when I'm injured," Remy snapped. "But okay, just for now. For you." He winced in pain. "You may have a point. Something tells me the Brotherhood is out for blood today. I can feel it." 

************************************************************************

"LALALALALA!" Pietro sang as he spray pained the lockers in the empty hallway. He even decorated several pictures. 

"Pietro what are you doing?" Evan snarled. 

"Just putting my own artistic touches on the walls," Pietro smirked. "Just the man I wanted to see!" Pietro laughed maniacally as he spray painted Evan. The next thing Evan knew, he was on the ground with a can of spray paint in his hand. 

"PIETRO!" Evan shouted as Pietro took off. "Why you…"

"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?" Principal Kelly roared.

"Uh…Principal Kelly," Evan gulped. "You are not gonna believe this…." 

************************************************************************

"Suspended for a whole week!" Pietro crowed to his friends at lunch. "I got that geek good!" 

"Way to go Pietro!" Fred high fived him. "All I managed to do was shove one of the newer recruits into his locker."

"Let me guess, Iceman?" John snickered.

"How'd you know?" Fred asked.

"He tried to break out by freezing his locker," John laughed. "Stupid janitor thought it was the pipes or something." 

"Well how was your morning Lance?" Pietro asked.

"Not bad," Lance told him. "I put sugar in Summer's gas tank and keyed his car. Managed to get into the blue freak's locker and put a shaving cream booby trap in it. Hit Summers in the head with a hockey puck when the teacher turned his back. Not to mention this," He took out a bra. "Jean's sports bra. I think I can get a lot of cash for this!"

"Got a better idea," Pietro told him. "We'll hang it outside the window of her last period class. That will be fun. Who else has something to report?" 

"I set a couple of Geek lockers on fire," John snickered. "Kelly's really starting to go nuts today. Thinks that the Institute kids are in on it and everything."

"Hmmm," Pietro smiled. "That gives me an idea. Let's take down two birds with one stone." 

************************************************************************

Meanwhile in Chicago a two police officers were finishing their patrol. They had stopped to get some coffee and had both left the patrol car, despite regulations. "I tell you something Joe," The first one said. "We were lucky not to get written up. I still feel guilty for gunning down a kid like that." 

"Hey don't!" Joe told him. "I'm telling you that kid wasn't human! Even the board saw that. Relax! We're heroes! Hey if it wasn't for us who knows what damage that kid could have done."

"I guess so," The officer sighed as they got in the police car. 

"I'm telling you we have to send a message to those freaks that we won't get pushed around!" Joe told him. Then he had a strange feeling that they weren't alone in the car. They weren't. Something grabbed their necks at the same time. Joe looked in horror at a huge feral mutant holding onto them. 

"Oh yeah bub," Sabertooth grinned at them. "The muties got the message loud and clear. Now we have a message for you…" 


	25. A Moment Alone

**A Moment Alone**

"Lance leave me alone!" Kitty stormed away from him, her face and sweater covered with shaving cream.

"Kitty I swear it wasn't me who put the shaving cream in your locker!" Lance told her, catching up to her. 

"It doesn't matter," She snapped. "Why are you guys being such jerks?"

"Yeah you're the ones who stole our teammates!" Lance defended. 

"We're not the ones who nearly killed Peter!" She whirled around and snapped at him.

"How is he?" Lance asked his voice suddenly much softer. 

"He's in a coma," Kitty looked at him. "Magneto did a number on him."

"Yeah he and Mystique are really on the warpath," Lance sighed. "They ordered us to really start hassling you guys. That's why all this stuff is happening!" 

"So you just jump and do it when he tells you to," Kitty snapped.

"What do you want me to do? Go tell him to jump in the lake?" Lance cried. He looked around. "Come on we need some privacy," He led her into a deserted classroom. "Kitty please listen to me. Magneto's really ticked off about this. You don't know what he's like." 

"I think I'm getting a very good idea what he's like," Kitty said.

"Kitty what do you want from me?" Lance asked. "I mean okay we lost. I can live with that. But you're mad at me for stuff that isn't my fault! I mean look at it from my point of view, you guys took two of our best guys and Magneto and Mystique are out for blood. It took everything I could think of to make sure the guys didn't do worse to you! I'm the one risking his neck, not you! Think about it Kitty, what's the worst you have to put up with for us being together? A little scolding? Believe me this isn't exactly a picnic for me either!" 

Kitty folded her arms. "I don't know why I put up with you sometimes. If I wasn't so crazy about you I'd…" 

Lance gently took her in her arms. "Kitty I promise, we won't do anything worse than some pranks. I promise. I won't let them hurt you. Just please, please be patient. Okay?" He kissed her forehead. "Please?" 

"Okay," Kitty sighed. "I guess it's not like we haven't gone through stuff like this for a few days anyway."

"Trust me Kitty," Lance told her as he escorted her out of the classroom. "This will all blow over soon." 

"Hey you two," Risty waved at them. They waved back.

"I promise Kitty," Lance said as he held her hand. "Nothing bad is gonna happen. You'll see." 

Risty glared at them as they walked away. "I see I'm going to have to take matters into my own hands," She sneered. "It's long past due that Alvers had a reminder of whose side he's on." 


	26. After School Antics

**After School Antics**

"I can't believe this!" Jean snarled as she came out of the girl's locker room. She was covered in shaving cream. 

"Jerks are really starting to get on my nerves," Tabitha snarled. "To think I used to live with those guys! Well that's it! I am going to put an energy bomb in their lockers!"

"No Tabitha!" Jean said. "We aren't going to stoop to their level! That will just make things worse!" 

"Oh yeah?" Tabitha pointed to the walls. "Much worse than that?" There were pictures of Jean with cold cream on her face in a bathrobe. Others were her in her nightgown falling on the stairs, as well as several other unflattering pictures. 

"THOSE JERKS!" Jean fumed tearing some of the pictures down. "I'll kill 'em!" 

"Now can I use an energy bomb on them?" Tabitha asked. The bell rang for the last class of the day to be over. "Great this day is finally over!" 

"Well at least there's nothing more the Brotherhood can do today," Jean sighed as they headed for the parking lot. "What the…."

Scott's car was covered with spray paint and shaving cream. So were half the cars in the parking lot. Several angry students crowded around Bobby, Sam, Ray, and Roberto. They were covered in cream and were holding cans of spray paint. "It wasn't us I swear!" Bobby shouted as they ran for their lives from the angry mob.

"We were framed!" Ray shouted. "Framed I tell you!"

"Yeah right!" One jock screamed. 

"Oh this is just perfect," Kelly groaned as he opened his car door, releasing several gallons of chocolate pudding all over the place. "Why am I not surprised?" 

"Those Jerks!" Scott fumed as the Brotherhood laughed at them. 

"Such fun eh gents?" John laughed. "What do we do next?" 

"Well since Lance already took off why don't we throw all the X-Geek underwear I stole all over the school?" Pietro laughed as they ran off. 

"MY CAR!" Guyrich screamed. "SOMEBODY STOLE MY CAR!" 

"YEEEAAAAAH!" Monkeywrench laughed as he took off down the highway in Guyrich's car. "Why should the Brotherhood have all the fun?" 

************************************************************************

"Aw man you missed it Mystique," Lance laughed as he came in the door. "You should have seen the looks on the Geek Squad's faces today! The others are gonna be a little late. Taking care of loose ends and stuff." 

"Alvers come here," Mystique said. "So you're still seeing that Pryde girl aren't you?" 

"H-How did you know?" Lance asked.

Mystique's eyes grew cold and flashed. "I know everything you idiots do. And don't you forget it! I've told you over and over again to stay away from that Pryde girl. Apparently you need a reminder."

Not long later sounds of screams could be heard from the Brotherhood House. 


	27. Punnishment

**Punishment**

"Man those X-Geeks are never gonna get over this!" Pietro laughed as he waved Jean's bra around. "Yahooo!"

"Hey boss Lady!" John shouted. "We're back! Guess…What the heck is that?" He pointed to something lying behind Mystique on the floor. That something to their horror was Lance. He lay there, his bare back exposed and covered with whip lashes and blood. "Lance!" Pietro gasped. 

"This is the price for disobedience," Mystique told them coldly, holding a whip in her hands. "If you think you can keep anything from me you are mistaken. Clean him up and get him out of my sight!" She walked away. 

Pietro rushed to Lance's side while the others glared at Mystique. "Lance!" He called out. "Come on guys help me get him to his room!" 

"God look at him," John gasped as Fred picked him up. "She really did a number on him!" 

"Let's get him to his room!" Pietro said. He rushed upstairs and grabbed several bandages and cleaning supplies. Fred carried Lance to his room and lowered him on the bed face down. Gently Pietro began tending to his wounds. 

Lance groaned as he started to wake up. "Lance?" Pietro asked.

"P-Pietro?" Lance asked weakly. 

"It's okay buddy," Pietro dabbed his cuts with medicine. It's over. Freddy get some more bandages and another towel." Fred obeyed. "It's gonna be okay," Pietro told Lance, pushing his bangs from his forehead. "We'll fix you up in no time."

"I guess now that Toad's gone I'm the new whipping boy," Lance muttered, involuntarily flinching when Pietro cleaned his back. 

"Why did she do this?" John asked. "What did you do?"

"It was because of Kitty wasn't it?" Wanda snarled. "I knew that airhead was going to get you in trouble!" 

"She ain't worth this Lance," Fred came in. "No one is." 

"Guys why don't you get him some water and stuff?" Pietro told them. "Give us some air okay?" 

"Yeah Lance," Fred nodded after he handed Pietro the supplies. "We'll do that. Come on guys." The others left.

"Okay Lance," Pietro said softly. "We're alone now. It's going to be okay. I'm so sorry…." 

"There's nothing you could have done," Lance told him. "It's my own fault I got caught. Don't worry. I've had beatings this bad before. I can handle it. I took it. It hurt like hell and I screamed a bit, but she didn't make me beg. You gotta believe me Pietro. She couldn't make me beg."

"Yeah buddy," Pietro nodded. "I believe you. Now hold still."

Lance breathed sharply as Pietro continued ministering to his wounds. "Just take it easy Lance," Pietro told him. "Did she hit you anywhere else?" 

"No," Lance shook his head. "I…I don't think so." 

"Well at least she didn't spank you with that taser of hers," Pietro sighed. "Lance what were you thinking?" 

"What do you think? But I can't let her take Kitty from me," Lance's voice was very quiet. "She's all I have."

"That's not true! You have us!" 

"Kitty's special to me. She's warm and kind and forgiving. I've never met anyone like her before."

"Well I have so take my advice! Listen to Mystique!"

"I ain't gonna let her break me like she broke Toad," Lance told him. "I just gotta be more careful from now on. Be a little more inconspicuous when I talk to Kitty, you know?"

"Lance stop it!" Pietro's voice shook. "Haven't you learned anything? Don't be so stubborn! She's not worth it!"

"She is to me," Lance said softly before he passed out. 

Pietro closed his eyes and placed his forehead on top of Lance's. "Don't worry," He whispered softly. "I won't let her break you either. I promise." 


	28. You Are Annoying Jean!

****

I don't own the song "Dancing Queen." ABBA does. Why should Lance be the only one tortured? Just couldn't resist this little songfic torture. 

**You Are Annoying Jean! **

"Look at them," Taryn sniffed. "Walking hand in hand. Just a few days after she ditches Duncan she's got Scott wrapped around her finger."

"Come on," Anya patted her shoulder. "The whole school knows what a tramp she is. Eventually Scott will too!"

"I just want to get her back!" Taryn snapped.

"Maybe there is a way to speed things up," Anya saw the Brotherhood joking around the halls. "Wait right there!" She went over to the Brotherhood. 

"Oh boys," Anya smiled. "Could you do me a favor?"

"Buzz off sister," Pietro snapped. "We don't do no favors for nobody!"

"It involves tormenting Jean Grey." 

"Oh well in that case what do you need us to do?" Pietro smiled. 

"I have an idea but I need you boys to pull it off," Anya said. "Call it a favor for a friend. If you do this, I'll give you guys twenty bucks." 

"Make it fifty and we have a deal," Lance smirked. "So what's the plan?" 

************************************************************************

Principal Kelly walked down the hallway to oversee the students at lunch. He saw a sign on the janitor's closet saying: KELLY DON'T LOOK IN HERE! Frowning, Kelly opened the door and was promptly hit in the head by a mallet suspended by a trigger on the door. 

"Told you so," Pietro snickered as he shoved the unconscious principal inside. "Now for phase two!" 

************************************************************************

Lunchtime and everyone was eating. Scott and Jean were together at a table with a few others from the Institute. Taryn frowned as Anya came over and sat down. "So what's the plan?"

"Just sit back," Anya pointed out. "The show is about to begin!"

"I don't see how you can like that loser!" Evan said to Kitty.

"Come on Evan, Lance isn't that bad," Kitty defended. 

"What the…?" Jean looked as four figures came out in red wigs onto a makeshift stage. 

"What they doing now?" Scott groaned. Lance, Pietro, Fred and John were wearing red wigs and holding microphones. 

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" Pietro smiled. "It's kareokee time!" He turned on some music that was the sound of ABBA's 'Dancing Queen'. But the lyrics were clearly different. 

_You think you're so hot!_

You think you're so fine!

Girl are you out of your mind?

See that door?

Why not leave?

You are annoying Jean! 

With two boys you like to go

Listen girl, how can you be so low? 

Do you think we're all blind? That no one would ever notice how quick you act?

You live for power over a guy

Admit it, it gives you a high! 

As soon as you get one, you want another! To you it's just a dance

And you'll dump him when you get a chance! 

You are annoying Jean!

You pretend to be nice, but you're so mean!

Annoying Jean! 

You strut down the halls like you're the queen! Oh yeah!

You think you're so hot!

You think you're so fine!

Girl you are out of your mind! 

See that door?

Please leave the scene!

You're so annoying Jean! 

The song was bad enough, but what really got to Jean was that Duncan and his crowd requested an encore! "Hey I'll give you fifty bucks if you make a tape of that!" Duncan's latest girlfriend hollered. 

"Oh this is priceless!" Taryn howled. "I wish I had a camera."

"Don't need one," Anya pointed out. "Wanda's got it all on tape. She's giving me a free copy. The rest she's gonna sell at twenty dollars a copy!" 

"Oh god," Jean hid her head. "This is so humiliating!"

"You were saying?" Scott whirled on Kitty. 

"Heh," Kitty laughed meekly. Then she frowned. "Lance Alvers you are so dead!" 


	29. Sympathy and Tenderness

**Sympathy and Tenderness**

"I'm not a bad man, am I Dorothy?" Kelly groaned.

"Of course not Edward," She told him, placing an ice pack on his head. 

"I try to help people," Kelly continued. "I love small animals and children. Well at least I used to love children before I came here. I'm not a monster. I pay my taxes. Help out with charities. I'm not a murderer or sadist or even a puppy kicker so why does all the bad things happen to me? Why? Why? Why?" 

"It's just one of those things Edward," Dorothy rubbed his back. 

"It's been one of those things ever since I got here!" Kelly groaned. 

"Do you want me to kiss it and make it better?" Dorothy asked.

"Okay," Kelly said in a small voice. They kissed.

Guyrich walked in. "Kelly I'd like to…" He looked at the scene. "Never mind I'll come back later." 

"It's all right, Henry," Kelly broke away quickly. "What can I do for you?"

"I was going to give you a proposal for free flu shots to all the students next month but I can see this can wait," Guyrich said. 

"No, no, no, no!" Kelly said. "I'll look at them now! That will be all Dorothy!" 

Dorothy started to leave. "Oh by the way sir," She said. "That Get Smart Episode will be on tonight at 8." 

"Get Smart?" Guyrich asked. "But hasn't that show been off for years?" He looked at Kelly. 

"Uh…rerun?" Kelly gulped.

"Oh brother," Guyrich rolled his eyes. 

************************************************************************

"We can't keep going on like this," Mr. Parker sighed.

"I know," Ms. Rafael told him. "Zartan already knows and the Baroness is getting suspicious. Told him I was sleeping with you to get information but I don't think he bought it."

"Falcon's getting suspicious too," He sighed. "We just can't do this anymore."

"Right. We have to break up," She said simply. "No more fooling around. Back to being enemies." 

"Right," Mainframe nodded. 

"Right after we do it for the last time in the storage basement," She led the way.

"Okay," He nodded as he followed her.

************************************************************************

"Kitty wait!" Lance came up to her. 

"Why should I after what you did to Jean?" She whirled around and yelled at him. "So you know how embarrassing that was with all of them looking at her and then at me?"

"Listen I told you…" Lance pleaded. They didn't see Pietro behind them. He didn't look too happy. 

"And of course everyone gives me the stupid lecture about you," She snapped. "Maybe they have a point!"

"Kitty I…" Lance began. 

"Forget it Lance," Pietro growled. "She's not worth another beating!"

"What?" Kitty looked at him. "Lance what is he talking about?"

"Come on Lance why don't you show her?" Pietro sneered. 

"Shut up," Lance snapped at Pietro.

"Show her Lance," Pietro snapped. "Show this spoiled brat what you have to go through because of her!" He whirled on Kitty. "You think you have it so bad because a few people say a few mean things to you about him. Let me tell you something, you pampered X-Geeks have it so soft! You have no idea what we go through!" 

"Pietro just forget it! It's no big deal!" Lance snarled.

"Well then why don't you show her your back if it's not such a big deal?" Pietro snarled. 

Lance froze in horror. He looked at Kitty then at Pietro. "Why don't you just shut up Pietro and mind your own business?" He hissed. 

"I'm making this my business," Pietro snapped back. He grabbed Lance's arm and twisted it behind his back. "Come on Kitty, why don't you check out what Mystique did when she found out about you two?" 

"Pietro get off of me!" Lance cried out in pain.

"In here!" Pietro snapped. He shoved Lance into an empty classroom. Kitty followed. "Lock the door behind you, Kitty." 

"Cut it out!" Lance shouted. 

"No," Pietro said coldly. "If this is what it takes to get you away from the Valley Girl reject then that's what it has to be. Now take off your shirt Lance." 

"No," Lance said defiantly. 

"Do it or I'll rip it to shreds," Pietro snarled. "And then the whole school will see. You know I can do it." 

Lance glared at him. He looked at Kitty. "Look you're making too much of this. It's not that bad…"

"Do it!" Pietro ordered. "Show her!" 

Kitty couldn't move as she watched Lance remove his vest. Ashamed he took off his shirt and revealed his back. He winced as he heard her gasp at the sight of his bruises and cuts. It hurt him more than Mystique's whipping. "Look, it looks worse than it actually is," Lance started to say, his voice trembling. 

"Oh so when you're whipped like an animal it's supposed to look better?" Pietro snarled. He glared at Kitty. "You X-Geeks are nothing but trouble. It's bad enough we lose people to you but the people we have keep getting punished for your actions! If you care for him the way you say you do you'll leave him alone!" Pietro stormed out. 

Lance looked at her. The look on her face shook him to his core. "DON'T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT!" He shouted, hastily shoving his shirt back on. He turned away from her and sat in a chair, putting his head in his hands. "Please just don't look at me."

Hesitantly Kitty walked over to him. "Lance you have to get away from her!" Kitty pleaded.

"I can't," Lance said softly. "I'm sorry…" 

"I'm the one that's sorry," Kitty said softly. Gently she took him in her arms. "Maybe we should give each other some space…"

"No!" Lance's voice choked back a sob. "Please don't! That's just what they want us to do. Please Kitty don't leave me. I'd go crazy if you did. I can handle getting knocked around. I'm used to it. Just don't abandon me. Please." 

"Okay," She said softly, stroking his hair. "I won't. I promise."

"Could you do one more thing please?" Lance asked. "Don't tell anyone about this. Especially Summers. I don't want him of all people to know. It's humiliating enough that you know." 

"But…" Kitty protested.

"Please!" Lance choked. 

"Okay Lance, I won't tell," She held him close to her. "I promise. But please promise me if things get really bad…"

"They're already really bad," Lance told her. "Don't worry. It won't get any worse."

He had no idea how wrong he was. 


	30. The Craziness Continues

**The Craziness Continues**

More weeks passed. And still the Brotherhood continued their prank campaign. The Joes were having trouble keeping them under watch all the time. Falcon thought it would be a good idea to have an in depth background check on all the mutants. 

"So you got all their files huh?" Falcon asked as he returned to their apartment base of operations. 

"Yeah," Jinx nodded. "Boy there are some real doozies here. Interesting reading." 

"Look at Rogue's," Alpine said. "Oh so that's her real name. Hey look at this where it says mother! But this says…Oh wow! We'd better get this info back to headquarters!" 

"Well I just got some info from headquarters," Falcon sighed. "It seems we have another operative in the building. And it's not Cobra folks."

"Who is it?" Jinx asked. 

"One of Trask's personal aides," Falcon told her. "SHEILD just gave us the info today. They've been trying to track Trask down after that Sentinel debacle." 

"Oh goody," Alpine groaned. "Just what we need. It's not enough we have Joes and Cobras and X-Men and Brotherhood….Now we have a **fifth **organization to deal with at school!" He looked at the file. "And the winner is…Henry Guyrich our vice principal! Wonderful!" 

"Oh great," Gung Ho rolled his eyes. "Just what we need. Now how are we supposed to take down a vice principal who technically hasn't done anything against the law yet?" 

"I just hope he doesn't know about us," Jinx sighed.

"You think he does?" Mainframe asked.

"Nah," Falcon shook his head. "I'm pretty sure even Cobra won't blow their cover for him. We'd better check the files over. Tomorrow's going to be another wonderful day." 

"Yeah well just try not to get into another war with Zarana tomorrow okay?" Jinx told him. "We want to keep the kids alive, remember?" 

"Hey I can't help it! She annoys me!"

"Annoys **you**?" Jinx's eyes narrowed into a deadly look. "You don't know the meaning of annoyance! Did you forget who her brother is and what he did to my clan? If I can tolerate the man who murdered my clan's leader and framed my cousin for murder, you can put up with Zarana!" She stormed out. 

"You always know just what to say don't you?" Alpine said to Falcon.

"Oh shut up," Falcon grumbled. 

************************************************************************

Mr. Pine walked around the corridors, keeping a careful eye on Guyrich when he saw him. "Pine here," He spoke to Breaker on his communicator. "Nothing here so far. Of course it's only first period…" 

"HELP!" A voice screamed from one of the classrooms.

"What did I tell you?" He grumbled as he went inside. "What the?"

Mr. Rafael was glued to the blackboard. "Get me down from here!" He shouted. "Those maniacs glued me up here!" 

"Awww," Mr. Pine drawled. "Well, well, well…look at this. You know I never could get performance art before. I have to hand it to you kids, the glitter is a nice touch!"

"Just get me down from here," He snarled. 

"Don't worry I'm sure the janitor has something that will peel you off. I'll get it from him and help you down," He walked out. "Eventually." 

"No!" Mr. Rafael screamed. "Wait you can't leave me up here with those lunatics on the loose! Tabitha Smith don't you dare! No! No! NOOOOOOOOO!" 

Alpine chuckled. "Hey Breaker guess what, the New Mutants glued Zandar to the blackboard again! Remind me never to get on those kids' bad side." 

"Well at least that takes care of one Cobra for now," Breaker told him. 

"Yeah it's the others I'm worried about," Alpine nodded. "Let's see what else these knuckleheads have planned for the day." He decided to peek into the Baroness's room. "What's this snake up to?" 

The Baroness was banging her head on the desk repeatedly. "Shut up all of you! Just shut up!" She said over and over as paper airplanes were thrown around.

Alpine beat a hasty retreat. "No way I am going in there without a machine gun," He muttered. 

KABOOOM! An explosion rocked another classroom. "Okay," Mr. Tanzar's voice filtered out of the smoke filled room. "Who put the ink cartridges over the Bunsen Burners?" 

"Maybe we don't have to worry about Cobra," Alpine said. "Maybe the kids will take Cobra down for us!" 

"One two three la conga!" The school nurse danced out of her room. She reeked of alcohol. "One two three la conga!"

"Oh great," Alpine sighed. "The school nurse is drunk again. I gotta get her before she does another striptease on the lawn." He chased after her just as Principal Kelly rounded the corner. 

"Oh goody," Kelly sighed. "The Nutty Nurse is at it again!" He decided to walk very quickly away from the scene. Unfortunately he came a little too fast just as the bell rang. 

"AAAAAGH!" Kelly screamed as he slipped on the wet floor. He slid down the hall, knocking several students and teachers over. 

"Oops," Bazooka Dave gulped. "That's not good." He walked away whistling. 

"Medic…" One student groaned weakly.

"I hate Mondays," Kelly groaned before he passed into unconsciousness. 

Guyrich walked by him with disgust on his face. "This is a disgrace," He muttered angrily. "The stupid freaks have turned this place into a madhouse! Of course having a buffoon like Kelly running things isn't much of a help either." 

He bumped into Lance who was hanging around the hallways with the Brotherhood. "Hey how's it going Vice Principal?" Lance joked.

"Get to class you trash!" Guyrich snarled at Lance and the others. He walked off. 

"Trash?" Lance's eyebrows raised higher. "Gentlemen and Lady…Are we going to take that?"

"No way," Pietro sneered. 

"Them's fighting words," Fred grunted. 

"Down right un-neighborly," John nodded. 

"I've got it," Wanda snickered, using her hex powers to have the trophy case crash down on Guyrich's head. 

"Good one," Pietro high fived his sister. 

"Mommy I want pancakes for breakfast," Guyrich moaned before he passed out. 

************************************************************************

"Are you sure this is gonna work?" Taryn asked Anya.

"You're not having cold feet are you?" Anya asked. "Remember what she did to you!" 

"I know, I know," Taryn sighed. "But this plan thing has been going for weeks now and I don't think it's working!" 

"Of course it's working!" Anya said. "Miss Perfect is no longer as popular as she used to be! Just keep giving it time. Scott will dump her soon enough! You'll see!" 

"Look out!" Taryn shouted as a tennis ball flew out of the gym window. 

"They're at it again," Anya chuckled. 

"Don't laugh we have them later on today," Taryn warned her. 

"Yes but first we have Algebra," She told her. "That's when the fun begins!" 

True enough they sat down in Algebra class. When the teacher turned off the lights immediately people started to snicker. Jean looked around. "What's so funny?" She asked.

"Oh dear," The teacher blinked. "Uh Miss Grey…nice underwear." 

Jean looked down at herself. Her underwear shone through her clothing. Everyone hooted and jeered at the glow in the dark peep show. She ran out screaming. 

"I told you so," Anya laughed.

"How did you do that?" Wanda nudged her. "I want to learn how to do that!" 

"Trade secret," She snickered. 

************************************************************************

"My arm's still sore," Gambit groaned. They were cooking in home ec class. 

"I thought that cast comes off tomorrow?" Rogue asked. 

"No it's still sore from the attack of the tennis balls in gym class," He groaned. 

"I swear somebody is gonna get killed in that class one of these days," Kitty grumbled as she stirred the pot. "Uh oh…" She held up what used to be a spoon, but the end was burnt away. "That's not a good sign is it?" 

"No," Rogue blanched.

"AHHH!" Lance screamed as his project caught on fire. 

"Not again!" Mr. LaFitte groaned as he grabbed the extinguisher. Still he couldn't stop the room from filling up with smoke. "How do you **do** that Alvers? This is the tenth time in a row!" 

"Great," Rogue gasped for breath. "If the Gym teachers from Hell don't kill us, Lance and Kitty's cooking will!" 

************************************************************************

After school the Cobra team gathered in a classroom. "Stupid brats!" Zandar snapped as he removed bits of glue from his forearms. "If that wasn't bad enough that female Joe ninja started a paper airplane war with my class!"

"Well you really shouldn't have used language like that in the first place," Baroness told him. "Monkeywrench, you've been listening in on the Joe's listening devices, what have you found out?"

"Well," Monkeywrench consulted his notes. "Brad is still deciding whether to take Lisa or Rachel to the homecoming dance. But what he doesn't know is that Lisa is interested in taking his best friend Luke. Mindy, the cheerleader Duncan's been seeing has just found out that her best friend Karen had a date with Duncan behind her back! Meanwhile Duncan now has the hots for…." 

"I meant any news concerning our mission micro brain!" The Baroness swatted him on the head with a rolled up magazine.

"Oh that," He rubbed his head. "Well…Kurt, the blue fuzzball and Amanda are still going at it like bunnies. Ray and Tabitha had another argument today at fourth period but they made up in the boy's bathroom during sixth period. Jean's popularity took a total downswing today due to the incident with the glow in the dark underwear…" 

"My, my," Ms. Baron snickered. "Poor Jean."

"Yes well you must admit she is a fun target," Anya walked into the room. "By the time we're finished with her she'll be easy prey." She instantly her blond hair changed to long green hair. 

"Excellent Zanya," Zartan smiled. "Anything else to report?" 

"I think the Joes may have discovered who Guyrich is," She said. "Judging by the way they were watching him." 

"Good work Zanya," Zartan nodded. "Your observation skills are a great help to us." 

"What do you expect?" Zanya smiled. "I am your daughter after all." 

**Yes in the new comics Zartan has a daughter! I kind of played around with her a bit so she'd be a teenager in this. So now we know who Cobra's two contacts are, but who is the Joe's contact? Who's helping them? The answer may surprise you. But I am getting ahead of myself. That won't happen for a while yet. I have other evil plans in mind. **

Next chapter is one of them. Mystique discovers someone knows her secret and enters into a new alliance! 


	31. Cocktails for Two

**Cocktails for Two**

Mystique couldn't believe what she found in her locker that morning. It was a note in an envelope. It read:

_Miss Risty Wilde, or should I say Mystique?_

Please give me the pleasure and honor of your company tonight at the penthouse suite at the Marisson Hotel. Say Seven o'clock? I have some very interesting information for you as well as a proposition you might find amusing. I don't have to tell you not to tell anyone because we both know how embarrassing it would be if Magneto found out your identity had been discovered. Not to mention certain other individuals. I hate to be so crass as to blackmail you but this is the only way I can be certain you will come. I believe we have a lot in common and I think we can help each other get what we want. 

Yours sincerely,

An Admirer

So she went. Using the form of a crow she flew up to the penthouse and found the patio door open. Cautiously she went inside, but could not see anyone.

"I was wondering if you would fly here," A voice said from the shadows. 

"Who's there?" Mystique looked around. Suddenly a man appeared out of nowhere. "Mr. Tanzar! You?"

"Oh please I think we can dispense with the formalities Mystique," The man removed his disguise to reveal his true form. "My name is Zartan. Perhaps you have heard of me?"

"Zartan," Mystique frowned. "Yes, I have heard of you. You're the legendary Master of Disguise."

"Well I admit I have earned that reputation," Zartan told her. "But compared to you I am a mere amateur." 

"What do you want?" She asked.

"Well dinner for a start," He showed her a table filled with delights and lit with candles. He held out a seat for her. Reluctantly she sat down. "I know what you are thinking. And in answer to your question yes I am a mutant. I have the ability to camouflage myself to nearly any background. I can also mimic any voice I hear perfectly."

"So what do you want with me?" She asked.

"Well for starters I came to warn you," He told her. "You have heard of Cobra I presume?" 

"Yes," She said cautiously. 

"Cobra wants to capture a few mutants to help with the usual plans for world domination," Zartan told her. "Specifically the X-Men. I thought this might interest you since you have ties to two of them." 

"And you're just telling me this out of the goodness of your heart," She gave him a look.

"Of course not, but I have great respect for fellow colleagues in our profession," Zartan sat down. "Especially if they are mutants. Frankly I'm a bit hurt Magneto didn't try to find or recruit me. Then again I am employed by Cobra, when I feel like it that is." 

"When you feel like it?" Mystique raised her eyebrows. 

"Yes," He said. "True I have gained a reputation as a soldier for hire, well I am a soldier for hire. But there are some things even I draw the line at." 

"Oh so you want to come over to our side, is that it?"

"The only side I am interested in is my own," Zartan told her. "Something I think you might agree with. Besides, tell the truth, with the obvious exceptions of Nightcrawler and Rogue you wouldn't care a bit if both the X-Men and the Brotherhood were locked up. Now would you?"

"To be honest," Mystique toyed with her food on a plate before her. "I'd sell the lot of them off to the Care Bears if I could be rid of them forever. Especially Magneto and Xavier!" 

"Exactly my point!" Zartan remarked. "We are a lot alike. Not just for the obvious reasons. Go ahead and eat. It's not poisoned. If I wanted to get rid of you I wouldn't have invited you here now would I?" 

"No," Mystique shrugged and started eating. "Roast pheasant. Not bad." 

"It's passable," Zartan shrugged. "Then again you can't expect perfection in a little hick town like Bayville."

"No one can't," She agreed. "But I'm stuck here babysitting those lunatics."

"You ought to meet the Dreadnoks sometime. They make your Brotherhood Boys look civilized. Almost. But one does need allies. And as uncouth as they are, they have their uses." 

"Is that why you wanted to talk to me?" Mystique asked. "To have another ally?"

"Why not?" Zartan said. He handed her two lists. "Oh here are a list of Cobra agents and a list of GI Joe agents." 

"What?" Mystique nearly dropped her fork.

"Oh didn't I mention it?" Zartan said. "Apparently the government sent a few of their agents undercover as well. In addition to keeping the X-Men out of Cobra's hands their job is to keep an eye on the Brotherhood as well. Of course they'd send members of GI Joe, a specially trained unit that specializes in fighting terrorism. And they have had a lot of experience with mutants as well." 

"I'm familiar with them," She told him. "I can't believe this!"

"Here's something else you won't believe," Zartan took out a photo.

"What is that?" 

"A picture of your vice principal Guyrich. I believe you recognize the man he's with?" Zartan handed her the photo.

"Trask," Mystique snarled.

"Three guesses who Guyrich works for and the first two don't count," Zartan told her.

"That slime!" She hissed. "They're working to root us out!" 

"Yes Of course Cobra plans to get the Sentinels for their own purposes," Zartan told her. "In fact the leader of this mission is at this very moment having dinner with him. She's reeling him in so she can get a meeting."

"Serves him right," Mystique snapped. "But why are you telling me this?" 

"Because we mutants should stick together," Zartan smiled. "And I have a very interesting proposition. I don't know about you but I am getting tired of being dictated by a short sighted lunatic who only cares about his own power." 

He leaned forward and looked into her eyes. "Doesn't it make you sick to work for a man who forced you to give up your family? I know it sickens me to watch my family work at the beck and call of a miserable human. But that can change. With your help we can both get what we want!"

"How?" She asked, clearly interested.

"I've been thinking," Zartan said. "What if Cobra was run by mutants instead of humans? Think about it, the world's most powerful terrorist unit with ties to some of the wealthiest corporations in the world with mutants at the helm? Think how quickly mutants could dominate the earth!"

"I'm listening," Mystique's eyes shone. 

"It would be child's play for a person with your talents to impersonate Cobra Commander," Zartan told her. "We get him out of the way, then we remove a few key figures and replace them with our own people and voila! We're running the show! It's easy! I would have done it myself years ago, but I didn't have the necessary skill or partners to do it! That's where you come in."

"That is a good idea," Mystique said.

"Think about it," Zartan told her. "Once Cobra is under our control we can secretly use Cobra's influence to place mutants or supporters in high powered positions! Hell we already have a few members in Congress and the Senate. Not to mention Parliaments in governments all over the world! With time and careful planning, we can do in a few short years something that Magneto could never do with all his boasting!" 

He came even closer to her. "Imagine, humans at our beck and call. Obeying us, their rightful masters. Together we could get rid of all our enemies, GI Joe, Magneto, the X-Men…"

"But what about my…" She started to say.

"I've got a plan for them," He smiled. "When the X-Men and the Brotherhood are taken away I have people in position who can 'lose' them or something to that effect. I'm telling you now, I'm afraid we may have to do some slight…reprogramming to them. But they are children after all. They need to be guided on the right path. Don't you agree?" 

Mystique sat there in silence for a moment. "They won't be harmed?"

"No," Zartan shook his head. "Just a few memories erased or re-arranged. They might get a few headaches along the way but isn't it worth it to free them from Xavier's clutches?"

"You have a point," She nodded. 

"It is for their own good," He told her. "In the long run they'll be much happier. And they'll be free from Xavier's influence. Not to mention when they are ready they will be given key positions of power in Cobra."

"And who will be in charge of Cobra?" Mystique asked. 

"Well I was thinking of a partnership," Zartan smiled. He stood up and turned on some music. He offered his hand to hers. She smiled and took it. Before she knew it, they were dancing. 

Mystique hated to admit it, but Zartan was quite charming. She tried hard to ignore those little urges and stirrings that had been dormant for so long. She couldn't ignore how fast her heart was racing as he inched closer to her. _Why should I stay loyal to Magneto after all he's put me through? At least with Zartan I have a chance at real power. It does make sense after all. If I can trust him. Fat chance, I'd sooner trust Trask. At least he's predictable. Still…_

"Well?" He asked. "What do you say?" 

"Let me put it to you this way," Mystique purred as she kissed him. She felt chills up and down her spine as he returned the kiss. 

"I like the way you talk," Zartan chuckled as he gently stroked her hair. 

"And I like the way you think," She smiled. 

"Would you like some more proof of my good intentions?" Zartan purred in her ear.

"I…think you already have," Mystique felt her knees weaken as his nibbled her ear. "Would you like some information from me to show my faith in the deal?" 

"I was thinking of something more…reckless," Zartan grinned. He picked her up and lowered her onto the bed. "Tell me, I'm curious. Is that outfit a part of you or is it one of those specially designed morphic outfits that changes shape with its wearer?" 

Mystique smiled back at him. "Why don't I just show you?" 


	32. As The Stomach Turns

**As The Stomach Turns**

**(Or Who's Dating Who)**

"Why can't we skip study hall today?" Lance asked Kitty.

"Because I have a lot of homework I want to get done," She told him getting books out of her locker. 

"Aw man," Lance sighed. "Well how about we sit together?" 

"Is it okay?" She asked with a worried look on her face. "I don't want you to get…in trouble if you do."

"Oh don't worry about it," Lance told her. "Actually now that you mention it, Mystique has been a lot more distracted than usual lately. She doesn't even seem to care anymore what we do as long as we're home on time."

"Well that's a relief," Kitty sighed. 

"Yeah so we have nothing to worry about," He smiled. Then a shadow passed over his face. "Uhhhh." 

"Is there something wrong?"

"No, nothing," Lance told her, quickly collecting himself. "I've just been having headaches lately. Nothing I'm not used to." 

"Oh," Kitty sighed. They went down the hall. "Oh I forgot my notebook in my computer class," She went into the room. "I'll just…Whoa!" She gasped as she opened the door. She looked in and found Mr. Parker and Ms. Rafael kissing. So did any other student that happened to be walking by. Several wolf whistles and cheers rang out.

"Uh sorry," Kitty gulped grabbing her notebook. "Didn't know anyone was in here. Gotta go!"

"Way to go Mr. Parker!" Lance cheered. "OW!" He winced as Kitty pinched him and dragged him away. "What?" 

"La-ance," Kitty hissed. "You didn't have to embarrass them like that!"

"Me? I'm not the one who walked in on them. Besides it's funny! Gives the student body something new to talk about! The Principal Kelly thing's getting kind of old anyway." 

"The what? What are you talking about?" 

"Come on Kitty," Lance laughed. "The entire school knows about Principal Kelly and his secretary!" 

"You're kidding?" Her eyes widened. "How long has this been going on?"

"Months," Lance told her. "But what I'd like to know is how long Mr. Parker's been with Ms. Rafael." They walked down the hallways, oblivious to someone watching them.

"So would I," Ms. Baron frowned, upset at this latest news. 

Meanwhile at lunch Paul was sitting down with Scott and Evan. He had been hanging around Scott more often lately. "Okay let's see if I get this straight," Paul said. "Scott is now dating Jean, Kitty is still dating Lance, Rogue is dating Remy. Kurt is dating Amanda. Tabitha is dating Ray…am I forgetting anyone?" 

"Duncan is dating half the cheerleading squad," Evan snickered. "But that doesn't really count! What did Jean ever see in that loser?" 

"Well I just heard the latest dish," Kitty sat down with them. "Guess what? You know Mr. Parker and Ms. Rafael? They were just like caught kissing in the computer room!" 

"WHAT?" Paul gasped. "Are you sure?"

"Saw them myself," She told him.

"Excuse me I gotta go see the nurse," Paul got up. "My stomach is kind of acting up." He walked away. 

"Gross," Evan frowned. "Teachers kissing. There goes my appetite." 

"Well it does happen," Kitty told him. "I mean look how long it's been going on between Principal Kelly and his secretary." 

"What are you talking about Kitty?" Scott asked. "Principal Kelly would never do something like that! Would he?"

"Oh come on Scott," Kitty rolled her eyes. "Where have you been? Everyone knows about Kelly and his secretary. Get a clue." 

"Yeah Scott even I know about that," Evan told him. 

"How?" Scott asked.

"Well let's just say there's a reason I don't go skating in the teacher's parking lot after school," Evan groaned. 

************************************************************************

"I DON'T BELIEVE THIS!" Baroness screamed in the empty classroom. She glared at Zarana and her brother Zartan. 

"You're making too big a deal out of this," Zarana told her.

"You were fraternizing with that Joe!" Baroness hissed. "That sounds like a pretty big deal to me! There are rules against this sister!" 

"Since when?" Zartan asked her. "This is Cobra we're talking about remember? In fact isn't that how you got your job?" 

"Shut up!" Baroness yelled at him. 

"Oh yeah like I'm the only one sleeping around on this mission!" Zarana snapped back. 

"I am not sleeping around," Baroness snapped. "I am merely setting Guyrich up! It's called intelligence gathering!"

"Well that's one way of putting it," Zartan chuckled. 

"Quiet mercenary," Baroness snapped. "Maybe you'd like a pay cut?" 

"However she does have a point sister dear," Zartan told her. "You should have been more honest with us about your dealings with the Joe."

"Oh really?" She gave Zartan a look. "And does that give her the right to know **everything** about **everyone's** private lives on this mission? Should we start **informing** on each other about every single time we take a little time off to blow some steam in a **penthouse suite**?" 

"On the other hand as long as it's not harming the mission why not have a little fun?" Zartan quickly turned an about face. 

"Yes I'm just doing a little intelligence gathering," Zarana said sweetly. "Just like you." 

"Let me make this perfectly clear," Baroness hissed. "I have not now, nor do I intend to ever sleep with Guyrich! Got it?"

"That bad a kisser huh?" Zartan asked.

"You wouldn't believe," Baroness rolled her eyes. "The man hasn't a clue. Speaking of clueless I just found out something. One of the students may actually be Mystique in disguise." 

"Really," Zartan said smoothly. "I'll have to look into that. Don't worry Baroness I'll take care of that personally." 

"See that you do," She told him. "We don't need any more loose ends around here! The Joes must be having a field day over this!" 

************************************************************************ 

"Well this is great!" Falcon groaned. "This is just great! I knew this would happen! I knew it! You are fooling around with Zarana!" He glared at Mainframe. 

"Just once or twice," Mainframe gulped.

"Well this is perfect," Falcon threw up his hands. "Just perfect. First your kid finds out about us on the first day and now this! How long has this been going on?"

"Uh technically it started long before the mission," Mainframe gulped. 

"I know that! What I want to know is what day you started sleeping with the enemy? And what you told her!"

"I haven't told her anything! It was just sex! Oh god," Mainframe hid his face.

"Oh is that all?" Falcon said sarcastically. "So when did this start? Two weeks ago? Three? Come on give me a date. I know you didn't get it on with her on the first day because you told me…." He looked at Mainframe. His face told him everything. "Oh man, you lied to me!"

"No I didn't!" Mainframe defended himself. "I wasn't with her at the time…until about ten minutes after I told you about Paul that is…" 

"Oh well that's just great!" Falcon threw up his hands again. "This mission is so screwed! You are so screwed! I'm screwed! We're all screwed! In more ways than one! Cobra must be having a field day with this!" 

"Hey I'm not the only one allowing my personal life to interfere with the mission!" Mainframe shouted. "Remind me again, which one of us allowed the Brotherhood to steal the entire school's supply of toilet paper and let them TP the parking lot because he was trying to compose a poem to his ex-girlfriend?" 

"This is not about me this is…" He stopped when he saw Alpine and Bazooka come in. "What is it? This better be good!"

"We found out something interesting," Alpine said. "A bit of Cobra action that's not exactly combat related if you get my drift." 

"I know," Falcon glared at Mainframe.

"Not him," Alpine said. "Zartan. You are not gonna believe this! Remember when Bazooka saw Risty turn into Mystique? Well it seems that she's now getting some tutoring sessions after class from Zartan."

"Does he know about her?" Mainframe asked.

"I saw the whole thing from a locked closet through a keyhole," Bazooka told him. "Trust me, he knows. But I don't think the Baroness does."

"What were you doing in a closet?" Mainframe asked.

"I locked myself in by accident," He told him. 

"What is she up to?" Falcon asked. "If she knows about Cobra…but Cobra might not know about her…What is Zartan thinking? Oh wait maybe I should ask Mainframe here. He seems to know how members of that family think!"

"Just hold on a minute," Mainframe fumed. "Just because you haven't been able to get into Jinx's uniform doesn't mean…" He was cut off with Falcon's fist in his face. 

"Will you two knock it off?" Alpine shouted as he separated them. "This is nuts! Look if headquarters finds out about this, **both **of you will land in the stockade if you're lucky! Do you want that to happen?" They both moved away. "I didn't think so. Okay so both of you made mistakes on this mission but it isn't over yet! Let's calm down and put our heads together and figure this out!" 

There was a knock at the door. "Mr. Parker are you in there?" It was Paul's voice. 

"Uh oh," Mainframe gulped. "What do we do? Do I pretend you guys are not here or what?" 

"Oh no let him come in," Falcon droned. "Maybe there's some top secret files he'd like to read!" 

Mainframe gave him a look and opened the door. "Don't worry," Paul told him. "I'm alone." 

"Come on in the party's just starting," Falcon said. 

Paul looked at Alpine and Bazooka. "Are they…?"

"Yeah," Mainframe nodded.

"Okay the security guard I can believe but the **janitor**?" Paul looked at him.

"Hey!" Bazooka pouted.

"Uh guys can we have some privacy?" Mainframe asked.

"Sure," Falcon shrugged. "Actually the way this mission is going I might recruit him to keep an eye on you!" The others walked out.

"Okay Dad what's this about you and Ms. Rafael?" Paul asked. "Is she part of your team too?"

"Not…exactly," Mainframe gulped.

"Oh I'm gonna love this," Alpine chuckled through the door. 

"Shut up!" Mainframe shouted. He looked back at Paul. "You'd better sit down. This is kind of…. Complicated." 

************************************************************************

"I hate afterschool detention," Evan grumbled as he came out of the detention room. There were spitballs in his hair.

"Let me guess, the Brotherhood?" Kurt asked. He had an afterschool project in the library due. 

"Yeah I am gonna get that stupid Pietro," Evan grumbled. They came out of the building. 

"Hey isn't that our teacher, Ms. Ark?" Kurt asked. She was standing on the corner a ways from them. 

"Yeah looks like she's ready to go on a date," Evan nodded. 

"Here he comes," Kurt pointed out. "Wait a minute…does that motorcycle look familiar to you?" 

"Oh my god…" Evan gulped. "Is that…Logan?" 

"No way," Kurt's jaw dropped. 

"Oh man," Evan groaned. "Why do I have the feeling somebody up there wants to see me suffer?" 


	33. Training Trouble

**Training Trouble**

"THIS STINKS!" Evan shouted. They were in the hanger with Logan and the New Recruits. 

"Evan calm down," Ororo said.

"Calm down, you're demoting me to the New Recruits and you expect me to calm down?" Evan snapped.

"It's not a demotion," Ororo explained. "We just think that the New Recruits will benefit from your experience more. It's only for a few weeks."

"Then why isn't Gambit here?" Evan asked.

"Two reasons porcupine," Logan told him. "One, he has more combat experience. Two he isn't failing his History and English classes." 

"Well just because you're dating my English Teacher doesn't mean you can spy on me," Evan grumbled. 

"You're what?" Ororo looked at Logan. "Since when?"

"About a month ago," Logan shrugged.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Ororo looked angry.

"Because it was none of your business that's why!" Logan snapped. "It's not like you had any interest anyway!"

"I see," Ororo said calmly. 

"Storm I would like your opinion on the latest calibrations for the Danger Room," Hank walked in. 

"Not now Hank!" She said. She turned her attention to Logan. They stared each other down. 

"Uh…What's going on?" Hank asked. 

"Logan's dating Ms. Ark the English teacher," Sam told him. 

"What's the big deal about that?" Jubilee asked. "So Mr. Logan's seeing someone. It's not like he and Storm were dating anyway?" 

"My point exactly kid," Logan said still glaring at Ororo. 

"You're right. Hank would you like to have dinner tonight?" Ororo asked.

"Uh…well yes," Hank blinked.

"Good see you at seven," She walked off.

"Women!" Logan huffed and went into the jet. 

"Okay what was that?" Sam asked Evan.

"Got me. Man there is way too much drama around here!" Evan groaned. 

"Just get in the plane," Logan snapped. Soon the jet took off leaving a very bewildered Hank alone. 

"I have no idea what goes on. I just live here," Hank shrugged and walked away in a daze. 

************************************************************************

"For the last time Tabby I was not flirting with that cheerleader!" Ray groaned.

"Well I'd like to know what exactly you were doing Ray!" Tabitha shouted. "Because it sure looked like flirting to me!" 

"I was not!" 

"Was too!" 

"Was not!" 

"Was too!" 

"I was not!"

"You wanna time bomb where the sun don't shine?" 

"Try it babe! Go ahead!" 

"WILLYOU TWO KNOCK IT OFF BEFORE I THROW YOU BOTH OUT OF THE JET!" Logan screamed.

"Please do," Jubilee groaned. 

"I'm hungry," Sam whined. "When do we eat?" 

"What do you think this is?" Logan snapped. "American Airlines?" 

"Quit shoving!" Rahnee snapped at Roberto.

"You quit shoving!" Roberto snapped at her.

"Both of you knock it off!" Amara snapped. "You're giving me a headache!"

"You're not the only one!" Logan groaned. "Why did I have to be the one to baby sit the kids in this X-Jet practice flight? Why?" 

"Why am I here with this whiny idiots?" Evan groaned.

"You take that back!" Tabitha shouted.

"Make me!" Evan snarled. 

"I'll make all of you be quiet permanently if you all don't shut up!" Logan snarled.

"Well I'm being good!" Jamie said proudly. "Aren't I Mr. Logan?" 

"Yes Jamie you are," Logan rolled his eyes. 

"See," Jamie stuck his tongue out at the others.

"Why is he here?" Evan asked.

"Yeah he's too little to fly the jet!" Jubilee said.

"I am not!" Jamie snapped.

"Are too!" Ray shouted.

"Am not!" Jamie shouted. 

"I am gonna kill Chuck for this," Logan grumbled to himself. "Better yet, next time I make him take them up in the jet!" 

"Hey I think we're at the area designated for practice," Roberto said.

"Oh brother," Rahnee rolled her eyes. "You sound just like a suck up!"

"Do not!" 

"Do too!" 

"Do not Fuzz Girl!" 

"Do too Jean Grey clone!" 

"You take that back!" 

"Okay let's get this over with! Iceman you're up!" Logan handed the controls to Bobby.

"All right!" Bobby cheered as he took the controls.

"We're gonna die," Roberto groaned.

"Only if we're lucky," Logan muttered under his breath. He looked around. "Well I'm impressed. You've been at the controls a full minute and we haven't crashed yet." 

"See?" Bobby told them. "Nothing is gonna happen!" 

Just then a spaceship flew out of nowhere and nearly sent the X-Jet into a mountain. "WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?" Bobby shouted. 

"Pull up! Pull up!" Logan shouted. He grabbed the controls just in time. Everyone screamed as the jet turned itself over twice. "What kind of maniac was driving that thing? Whatever it was?" 

"My stomach…" Jubilee tried to hold it in but couldn't. 

"I knew it," Roberto groaned. "We're gonna die." 

"Why do I have a feeling somebody's getting us back for the time we took the X-Jet on a joyride?" Sam groaned. 

"Mr. Logan," Jamie said weakly. "I threw up all over the backseat."

"Stupid baby," Ray grumbled.

"I'm not the one who wet my uniform," Jamie snickered. 

"THAT'S IT! WE ARE GOING HOME!" Logan snapped as he turned the jet around. "If I have to be stuck with you nutcases in here any longer I am going to crash this jet on purpose!" 

*** For an explanation of the spaceship (For those of you who don't already know) see Chapter 23 of Ronin Toad! "A Guy, A Girl, and a Spaceship!" **


	34. More School Insanity

**You got it, more pointless craziness in this chapter. I really should get back to the plot soon. But until then…there's this. **

**More School Insanity**

"Hey Lance," Kitty came up to him in Chemistry class. "How are you doing? Are you feeling any better today?" 

"I'm fine," Lance shrugged. "I've been having these weird headaches lately. Different than the ones I usually get. Nothing much though." They sat down at the lab table. "So is there any chance we can sneak out later?" 

"No," Kitty shook her head. "Besides Jean's roped me into working for the school Homecoming dance committee. We're going to set up for the dance this Thursday. Want to help?"

"Why not?" Lance shrugged. "Uh…you wouldn't mind….you know…um…"

"Oh just ask her out already," Risty sighed as she sat at the table with them. 

"Since when are you in this class?" Lance asked.

"I transferred," She told them. "Besides I really like Mr. Tanzar. He is a great teacher!" Risty sighed with a dreamy look in her eyes. "You have no idea how great he is." 

"O-kay," Lance shrugged. 

"Somebody's got a crush," Kitty snickered.

"Do not," Risty folded her arms. 

"Okay class," Mr. Tanzar came in with a strange device. "Today we are going to learn how to diffuse different types of bombs." 

"Are you sure we should be doing this?" One student gulped.

"Oh don't be such a baby," Mr. Tanzar snapped. "It's not a real bomb, it's just filled with dye. Besides if any of you kids want to enter the exciting world of being a mercenary, you'll be prepared! Or the bomb squad whatever."

"Finally a lesson we actually use in real life!" Lance said. 

Meanwhile outside in the hallways Principal Kelly was chasing several students. "Will you stop fencing in the hallways!" He screamed.

"It's okay Kelly they're with us!" Ms. Rafael shouted. "En Guard!" 

"Die! Die!" Mr. Falcon shouted as the teacher began dueling. 

"Oh god…" Kelly rolled his eyes. He saw Ms. Baron storm out of her class. She pulled down the fire alarm. "Ms. Baron what are you doing?" 

"Having a fire drill what does it look like?" She snapped. "Okay everybody **out **of my classroom! **Out!** All of you!" 

Fred came out with a sock puppet on his hand. "But Mr. Socky still has some more questions about your personal life," He said. "Hello Mr. Kelly. Mr. Socky has some questions for you too!" 

Principal Kelly blanched. "FIRE DRILL!" He screamed, going into all the classrooms shouting. "Fire drill! Get out of class! Fire…" He put his head into the Chemistry classroom.

BOOOM!"

Kelly's head was covered in yellow dye. "That's it, I am definitely looking into taking early retirement," He muttered. 


	35. The Plan Starts to Come Together

**Okay no more nuttiness. Time for the plot to continue! **

**The Plan Starts to Come Together**

"I don't know how much more of this I can take," Guyrich hissed. "Going to school every day with those…animals running loose." 

"Calm yourself," Ms. Baron told him. "I just got another operative in position today. Very soon the mutants will be gone. But we are going to need those Sentinel Plans if we can start mass-producing them. Even we can't get rid of every mutant in Bayville with our operation. But at least we'll be able to capture and study the worst of them. Once the Sentinels are in production, then we can eliminate every mutant and make this school safe again." 

"You're right," He nodded. "Trask is coming tomorrow." 

"That soon?" She raised her eyebrows. 

"There was some trouble at our base in Mexico," He told her. "Somehow SHIELD found out where it was. But he got away with the plans."

"Tell him not to worry," Ms. Baron smiled. "We have several hiding spots. We'll keep him safe. I guarantee it." 

************************************************************************

Later on that day Ms. Baron had the Brotherhood in class again. By this time she had given up on teaching them anything so she let them have a study hall. John and Pietro were having a mock war with pencils. Fred was having a snack. Wanda was drawing on her desk. Everyone else was talking and goofing off.

Everyone that is, except for Lance. He was too much in pain from his latest headache to do anything. 

Lance winced as the headache increased. He had never had a headache like this before. He moaned in agony. "Is there something wrong Mr. Alvers?" Ms. Baron asked.

"My head…" Lance gasped. "I…I need to see the nurse." 

"Mr. Alvers I…" Ms. Baron started to say something. Suddenly the school shook violently, then stopped almost as instantly as it came. "I think that may be a good idea." 

Lance grabbed the pass and started to make his way down the hall. A blinding stab of pain blurred his vision and sent him to his knees. The school shook violently again. Lance tried to get up but couldn't. 

"Lance what are you doing?" Risty found him in the hallway. 

"Hurts…" Lance gasped. "Pain…my head….can't move…" 

"Come on we're taking you to the nurse," She helped him up. Lance held on to her tightly for support. The next thing he knew he was flat on his back looking up at the ceiling. He looked around dazed. 

"Finally up I see."

Lance looked to the side and saw a strange bald man with a huge black moustache in a white uniform. "Ah very good," The man smiled. He spoke in a funny European accent. He even wore a monocle on one eye. "You had a severe migraine young man, but you should be feeling better now."

"Who are you?" Lance asked.

"I'm Mr. Bender the new school nurse," He smiled. "The old one had to leave for…health reasons." 

"You're the nurse?" Lance looked at the man. 

"What's wrong with a man being a nurse?" The strange man huffed.

"Nothing I guess," Lance blinked. "Well at least you're not drunk."

"How do you feel?"

"Better," Lance shrugged. "Headache's gone."

"Well then why don't you head to your next class?" The man smiled and wrote him a pass. When Lance left he waited a moment before making a call. Shortly Ms. Baron walked in. 

"What is it Dr. Mindbender?" Ms. Baron asked. "This better be good. I hate wasting my free periods." 

"I did a little blood test on Mr. Alvers," Cobra's leading genetic scientist told her. "It seems our friend Magneto has been doing a little experimentation of his own." 

"Like what?" She raised an eyebrow. "Genetic enhancement?"

"Bingo," He nodded. "However in this case…Something tells me that Magneto may have bitten off more than he could chew if this test is correct. Take a look." He showed her the results.

Her eyes widened as she read. "Is that man insane?" She hissed. "Not even Cobra would use that drug! It's way too unstable!" 

"I agree," Mindbender nodded. "We'd better make our move soon. If not there may not be a Bayville High much longer!"

"I think it's time we started Phase Two," Baroness smiled. "By the end of the week we'll have the Sentinel Plans and many mutants." 


	36. Homecoming Preparations

**Homecoming Preparations**

The next day a large group of students started working on the gym for the Homecoming dance. Most of them oblivious to the social chaos that was surrounding the country. Taryn was one of them. She was far more concerned on her own social life was in chaos. She couldn't help but stare as Scott and Jean flirted with each other as they put up decorations. "That should be me with Scott," She fumed. 

"I know," Anya put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "She doesn't deserve a nice guy like Scott. Now you're sure about that schedule you gave me? It shows just when she's going to be at track practice."

"Yeah," Taryn nodded. "But I don't see how this is going to help me get Scott." 

"Don't worry Taryn," Anya smiled. "If my plan works Jean won't be anywhere near the homecoming dance Friday." 

On the other side of the gym, Ms. Ark was directing Kurt and Amanda. "Hang that banner nice and high kids!" She called out. They were both on ladders.

"Careful Kurt," Amanda called out. "You're gonna fall!"

"No problem!" Kurt called out. "See I've got it." 

"Okay now come on down before you hurt yourselves," Ms. Ark said. 

Kitty came up to Ms. Ark. She had a weird look on her face. "Uh…Ms. Ark, Mr. Logan up at the Institute just called and asked me to tell you he'll be a half hour late tonight." 

"Late for what?" Kurt asked. 

"Um," Ms. Ark said. "Well as a matter of fact Mr. Logan and I are seeing each other tonight."

"You mean you two are going out on…some kind of date?" Amanda asked.

"What's wrong with that?" Ms. Ark asked. "Teachers do go on dates you know. We're people too." She looked over. "Maximoff stop tying Fred up with the crepe paper!" She went over to stop Pietro's latest antics. 

"Ms. Ark is dating Mr. Logan?" Amanda asked.

"Yeah," Kurt shuddered. "Weird." 

Kitty asked. "Like what do teachers do on dates?"

"Only one way to find out," Kurt smiled. "Ladies are you up for a little intelligence gathering."

"Kurt are you saying we should spy on our teachers?" Amanda looked at him.

"That is so wrong!" Kitty said.

"But fun," Amanda pointed out. 

"It's a total invasion of their privacy!" Kitty said.

"They do it to us all the time," Kurt said.

"Okay I'm in," Kitty made an evil grin.

"We'll meet at the Institute," Kurt said. They put their hands together in a circle. 

"Let's do it," Amanda smiled. 

Meanwhile Ms. Ark had given up trying to do anything with the Brotherhood. Most of them only volunteered in order to keep from getting detention. With the exception of Lance of course in his quest to impress Kitty. 

"Give it up Lance," Pietro whined. "It doesn't matter how many stupid paper flowers you put up, she's not gonna care!" 

"We should have done what Wanda did and ditch school," Fred grumbled as he tore up some of the crepe paper off him. He looked like a mummy. 

"Should have taken the detention," John grumbled.

"Oh come on guys this isn't that bad!" Lance told them. Then resumed on flirting with Kitty. "This is gonna be great! Kitty agreed to go with me to the dance! I have a feeling that this is one dance we aren't ever gonna forget!" 

"Hey turn that up!" Someone shouted. They all listened in as someone turned up the volume of a nearby radio.

"The body was discovered behind an abandoned warehouse," The announcer said. "It was in the same condition as the others. This is the eighth police officer that has been murdered in this fashion in Chicago. Authorities now believe that these murders are being committed by a mutant in response to the shooting of a young mutant months ago."

Several students reacted in different ways. Many were silent, others were grumbling among themselves. Scott growled and glared at Lance and the other members of the Brotherhood. He went up to Alvers. "You know about this?"

"Are you crazy? This is the first I've heard of it!" Lance snapped. 

"If you're lying and this is some sick twisted plan of Magneto's…" Scott snapped.

"Hey! There's no proof of that!" Pietro snapped. "Besides, Magneto's not exactly the only mutant that was ticked off at what happened in Chicago. For all we know someone new could be involved." 

"Yeah Magneto's no assassin," John said.

"But Sabertooth is," Scott told them. 

"Yeah but that doesn't prove it's him!" Lance snapped. "Or that Magneto had anything to do with it! So unless you have some concrete evidence get out of my face!" Lance shoved Scott. "Come on guys, let's go." The Brotherhood stormed out. 

"Can you believe that jerk!" Pietro spat as they roamed the hallways. "Those X-Geeks blame us for everything! They'd blame us for the ozone layer if they could!" 

"I wonder who's really killing those cops?" Fred asked. 

"Well whoever it is I'd like to shake their hand," John chuckled. "It's about time we struck back." 

"Hey you four!" Guyrich appeared. "You're wanted in the nurse's office!" 

"What for?" John asked. 

"You boys need to get your flu shots," Guyrich told them.

"Says who?" Lance looked at him.

"New school policy that's who!" Guyrich snapped. "It's mandatory! Get going!" 

"Jawhol!" Pietro saluted. They went off to the nurse's office only because Guyrich was following them to make sure that they went. "This is so lame!" 

"Well maybe we'll get a lollypop?" Fred asked as Pietro went in to get his shot first.

"Oh brother," Lance rolled his eyes.

"Hey can I help it if I always look on the bright side of things?" Fred defended.

"You always look on your stomach's side of things," John cackled.

"Next!" The nurse said.

"I hate shots," Lance grumbled as John went in to get his shots. 

"Hey I just thought of something," Fred gulped. "I have invulnerable skin…what's gonna happen when that guy tries to give me a shot?" 

"Oh yeah that's right," Lance said. "That's gonna be a trouble! Maybe you can say you already got your flu shot? Hey I should try that!" 

"Next!" The Nurse called out. Lance grumbled and went in.

"Oh boy what am I gonna do?" Fred pouted. "I gotta think! Gotta think! Hey Pietro what do you think…? Pietro? John? Lance? Hey where is everybody?" He went into the office. "Guys what's taking so long?" 

To his shock he saw all of them unconscious on the floor. Several men in white surrounded them. "Hey what's going…." Fred started to say something when one of the men in white covered his face with a huge towel soaked in chloroform. He struggled briefly, but not even he could fight against it. He passed out. 

"Excellent," Dr. Mindbender chuckled over the unconscious bodies of the Brotherhood. "Ninjas are very handy assistants. Remind me to thank Darkshadow for lending you all to me. Get them to Lab number one downtown." He ordered the ninjas. "Now all we need are a few X-Men." 


	37. Spy Games

**Spy Games**

"How did you end up getting locked in a closet?" Falcon asked Alpine after school. 

"Dunno," Alpine grumbled. "Someone shoved me in. Has Breaker fixed the equipment yet?" 

"He's working on it," Falcon told him. "I don't know how our electronic surveillance equipment went down at the same time." 

"I smell a rat here," Falcon frowned. "Or more specifically a snake. What are they up to?"

************************************************************************

Meanwhile at the Brotherhood house, Mystique was not happy about the boys not showing up after school. She evidenced her displeasure by breaking several bits of furniture. Wanda, quite used to her tantrums looked at her with a bored eye. 

"Where are they?" Mystique hissed. 

"How should I know?" Wanda snapped. "Maybe they went out to bother some X-Geeks!" 

"When I get my hands on them I will…" The phone interrupted her. She answered it. "Yes? Oh…It's you. Oh…I see. No. Not really. All right. That soon? Just remember your part! Good bye." She hung up the phone. "I'm going to bed." 

"Wait a minute what about the others?" Wanda asked. 

"Oh them?" She shrugged. "Never mind. They'll be back whenever they feel like it." 

"Wait a minute," Wanda frowned. "Two seconds ago you're tearing the place apart because they're not here and now you don't care? Does Magneto have something to do with this?" 

"All that matters is that you're here," She replied. "Or you can go out. Quite frankly I don't care which. I'm sick of babysitting all of you brats." 

"Fine!" Wanda stormed out. "I'll go look for them myself!" _What is going on here? It's time I found out!_

************************************************************************

In another part of town three teens were on a mission of their own. "This is Blue Wonder reporting in," Kurt whispered into his communicator. "Target has been sighted at the park. Repeat the lovebirds are at the statue, over!" 

"Kurt what are you doing?" Kitty asked. "We're right behind you." Kitty and Amanda looked at Kurt. They were hiding behind the bushes at a nearby picnic area. Apparently Logan and Ms. Ark were having a late night picnic. They were chatting and having a good time. 

"I'm just trying to be professional about this," Kurt sniffed. 

"Kurt we're gonna get caught if you keep goofing around," Kitty told him.

"No way!" Kurt said. "We're downwind! He can't smell us!"

"I meant with all the noise you make!" Kitty snapped. 

"Hey no one said the spy business was easy! Danger! Action! It's just another day for 'Kurt's Angels'!" Kurt smiled. 

"Oh brother," Kitty rolled his eyes.

"Please tell me he's not always like this on missions" Amanda groaned.

"No usually he's a lot worse!" Kitty grumbled.

"Okay next time we spy on our teachers we're leaving him home," Amanda said. 

"Hey!" Kurt frowned. "I am a valuable team member! Look I even have this!" He took out a small listening device. "This can carry sounds from miles away." He put the headphones on. "Forge made this baby! I can hear every word they are saying. Right now they are talking about how much goofing off Kurt is…Never mind," He put the phones down.

"No wait I want to hear this!" Kitty grinned as she grabbed the headphones from Kurt.

"Me too!" Amanda grinned putting one part of the headphones next to her ear while Kitty held the other.

"Hey!" Kurt protested. "I want to hear too!" 

"Oh be quiet Kurt!" Kitty told him.

"Yeah you and Kitty do this all the time," Amanda said. "I want to get in on the action for once!" 

"But it's my device," Kurt pouted.

Meanwhile Logan began to kiss his date, oblivious to the fact that he was being watched. Little did he know he was going to get more company than he bargained for. Suddenly a jeep pulled up to the campsite out of nowhere. "JINX!" Falcon shouted. 

"Oh great," Jinx groaned as Falcon came running out.

"Is that our gym teacher?" Kurt asked. 

"I heard he had a crush on Ms. Ark," Kitty said.

"Oh man this is gonna be good," Amanda snickered.

"I wanna hear this!" Kurt sniffed trying to listen in. It soon turned out that he didn't really need it.

"JINX WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" Falcon screamed. "I'VE BEEN TRYING TO CONTACT YOU FOR…." He stopped and looked at the situation. "Logan? What's going on here?" 

"We're on a date you moron," Jinx hissed, not having to enjoy explaining to Logan about her codename. "What do you think is going on?"

"Hey Falcon," Logan waved. "See you haven't lost your sense of timing."

"Wait you know each other?" Jinx looked at him.

"I was gonna ask you the same question," Falcon looked more puzzled than ever. 

"We've been dating for a while now," Logan told him. 

"You're **dating** our **contact**?" Falcon yelped at Jinx. 

"What?" Kitty and Kurt yelped at the same time. 

"Don't yell at her," Logan said. "She didn't know I was helping you guys. Okay I knew who she was…" 

"You knew?" Jinx asked.

"Well yeah," Logan shrugged. "I didn't want to hurt your feelings or anything." 

"What is going on?" Kurt asked.

"I don't know!" Kitty snapped. "Logan…some kind of informant? No way!" 

"Let me get this straight, you knew I was part of GI Joe all the time?" Jinx asked.

"I didn't want things to get complicated," Logan sighed.

"It's a bit late for that!" Falcon snapped. "I can't believe this! Mainframe I can, but you having romantic liaisons? That's…that's unprofessional!"

"Look who's talking!" Jinx shot back. "This from the man who uses an ultra secret emergency channel on my communicator to pester me with poems and asking me for a date! Is it any wonder I don't carry it with me any more? I told you it was over between us Falcon!" 

"Uh…Excuse me," Logan interrupted. "But is there a reason you've been driving all over town looking for Jinx?"

"Oh yeah," Falcon scratched his head. "We had a security snafu. We think Cobra's got some members of the Brotherhood."

"How could that happen?" Jinx snapped. "You were supposed to be watching the Brotherhood this week. I took care of my end with the X-Men!" 

While the adults were arguing the three teens sat in shock. "I can't believe that Logan's been helping people spy on us!" Kitty snapped.

"Who are they anyway?" Kurt asked. "What is this GI Joe?"

"I've heard of them," Amanda said. "They're a military task force that specializes in fighting terrorists."

"But what does that have to do with us?" Kurt asked. He sat back into the bushes accidentally. Particularly on a sharp branch. "Yeow!" 

"What was that?" Logan turned his head in their direction. 

"Kurt!" Kitty hissed angrily.

"Oops," Kurt gulped as Logan made his way towards their hiding spot. "Hang on!" He teleported them all out of there just before Logan came upon their hiding spot. 

"What is it?" Jinx asked.

Logan frowned as he picked up the familiar scents. "We had a few spies here."

"Who?" Falcon asked.

"A few kids from the Institute," Logan sighed. "Not to mention a certain Elf's girlfriend. I don't think we can keep this a secret any longer. Chuck isn't gonna be too thrilled about this."

"Maybe we'd better come and explain the situation," Jinx said.

"It's the least we can do," Falcon said. "Besides, I have a feeling Cobra's gonna pull something big pretty soon. We're gonna need all the help we can get." 


	38. Trapped and Tricked

**Trapped and Tricked**

The first thing that came to Pietro's mind that it was quiet. Very quiet. The second was that he couldn't move. His arms felt like they were tied down. Then he opened his eyes and saw for himself that he actually was tied down. 

_Where are we?_ Pietro looked around. He was strapped to a table somewhere dark. He could barely see the outlines of the other members of the Brotherhood. "Lance?" He called out. "John? Freddy? Can any of you hear me?" 

"I'm afraid that they are still unconscious," The School Nurse came up to him. Only this time he was wearing an outfit with a cape. "I haven't done anything to them. Yet. I am Doctor Mindbender, your captor and I will be studying you mutants."

Pietro tried to override his fear with bravado. "Yeah? You and what army freakjob?"

"The Cobra army actually," Dr. Mindbender smirked. "Fascinating. Your accelerated metabolism must have burnt through the knock out injection faster. This could be very useful to our soldiers."

"If you think I'm gonna help you…"

"What are you gonna do? Call daddy?" He sneered. "Oh yes dear Pietro we know all about you and your father and dear sister. Don't worry, they will join you soon enough as well as a few X-Men. But for now," He took out a syringe. "I think it's best that you go back to sleepy bye land." 

Pietro struggled, but it was useless, Mindbender efficiently injected him with the serum. "Don't worry," Dr. Mindbender laughed as Pietro's world went dark. "It's just harmless knock out serum. The real fun won't begin until we get the others and reach Cobra Island." 

************************************************************************

"Success," Ms. Baron informed Trask and Guyrich as she put down her cell phone. They were all sitting at a quiet corner in an Italian restaurant. "We have successfully captured and contained four of the mutants. All of them Brotherhood." 

"Well that's some good news," Guyrich sighed. "I can breathe a little easier tomorrow."

"What about the others?" Trask asked impatiently.

"In good time," She told him. "By the way how did you find our gift?" 

"The information you gave us from Modrovich was fascinating I admit," Trask said. "But what really interested me were those suppression collars you sent." 

"A little invention we cooked up," Ms. Baron smiled. "Now speaking of inventions…" 

"I'll give you the plans tomorrow," Trask nodded. "After school."

"Excellent," She nodded. "Then you can meet our backers. If you'll excuse me I have to powder my nose. She went to the bathroom. After making sure she was alone she activated her hidden communicator. "Did you get all that Zartan?"

"Every word," Zartan's voice hummed in her ear. "So both of them are going to come willingly to Cobra's doorstep. Very convenient. Just think, we will do in a day what SHIELD itself couldn't do in several months."

"Those plans are as good as ours," The Baroness laughed. "This is going to be easier than I thought! Tomorrow we get some X-Men with a little help from Taryn. When Miss Grey gets ready for track practice after school tomorrow, we will be waiting for her." 


	39. Confessions

**Confessions**

"Well here we go," Falcon sighed as they pulled up to the Institute's gates. "I wonder if they blabbed yet?" 

"Does that answer your question?" Logan pointed to Charles and several of the students at the door. "They don't look too happy." 

"Well this won't make them any happier," Falcon said. "Let's do it." 

"Hello Logan," Charles said his voice even. "I take it these people are friends of yours."

"Yup," Logan nodded. "This is Lt. Falcon and Jinx of GI Joe."

"We've met," Scott frowned. "Logan what's going on here?"

"Yeah what's all this about?" Kitty asked. "Why are you guys posing as teachers?"

"Yeah what's going on?" Evan asked.

"It's a long story," Falcon said. "But first why don't we all go inside. And you might want to bring in all your students Mr. Xavier. What we have to tell them concerns every mutant in Bayville." 

"If the Elf's girl is still here better bring her in too," Logan said.

Soon all the mutants and Amanda assembled in the library. "Okay so what's this all about?" Jean asked. 

"Do you remember back in Hawaii when I was checking out the nightclub?" Logan said. "I ran into Falcon here. We've met before. After we both realized we were the good guys we compared notes and found out somebody tried to get information on mutants from their computer as well as Cerebro. Turns out that somebody was Cobra." 

"What's Cobra?" Amara asked. "I've never heard of them."

"I have!" Jamie piped up. "It's a terrorist organization of some sorts. And you guys fight them, right?" 

"That's right kid," Falcon smiled. "Multiple isn't it?" 

"That's right!" Jamie said proudly.

"You told them about us?" Scott asked Logan.

"Not really," Falcon said. "We already knew about you guys from other sources. Anyway we put two and two together and figured out that they were going to try to capture some mutants here in Bayville. So the Joes put together an undercover team to stop them."

"Beware the ones who follow the snake," Rogue said quietly. "So that's who Irene saw." 

"Why didn't you tell me about this?" Xavier asked Logan, his voice more surprised than anything. 

"Well to be honest Chuck I was asked not to," Logan said. "That and the fact I wasn't sure how you'd react to the situation. I know you're not exactly too keen on the military finding out about our secrets, but the Joes are kind of the exception to the rule." 

"Yeah with all the stuff we've seen and done mutants are no big deal," Jinx told him. 

"So all this time you guys have been spying on us?" Scott asked anger evident in his voice. 

"Spying is such an ugly word," Falcon scratched his head. "I'd rather put it that we were keeping an eye out for you kids. Besides, Cobra's got a few operatives in the school as well." 

"Who?" Kitty asked.

Jinx and Falcon looked at each other. "You might as well tell them," Logan said.

"Okay," Jinx sighed. "The leader of this mission is the Baroness, known to all of you as Ms. Baron."

"I knew it!" Evan snapped. "I knew my history teacher was evil! She's flunking me on purpose!" 

"The girl's gym teacher…" Falcon said.

"Well that explains why you two were using us to try to kill each other in class!" Ray groaned.

"Hey is the computer teacher a Cobra agent too?" Amanda asked.

"Uh no actually he's one of our guys," Falcon looked a little flustered. "It's…complicated."

"I think I can relate to that," Kitty groaned.

"Who else?" Jean asked. 

"The art teacher, Mr. Rafael, the Chemistry teacher Mr. Tanzar, one of the cafeteria workers," Falcon listed them off. "And now the new school nurse. His real name is Dr. Mindbender. He has this little hobby of playing with people's DNA like they were tinkertoys." 

"Most of us have classes with all of them!" Tabitha shouted.

"I told you our teachers are evil!" Evan said. 

"Not all of them," Hank smirked. "I take it you also have a few more operatives on your side as well as Mr. Parker?" 

"Well why not?" Falcon threw up his hands. "Okay here are the good guys. Keep in mind that these are the guys that are trying to look out for you. There's Jinx, myself, Mr. Parker, Mr. Pine the security guard…"

"Well that makes sense," Rogue shrugged.

"Your Home Ec teacher…." Jinx said.

"That I can believe," Kitty said.

"Aw man," Remy groaned. "Figures, my favorite teacher!" 

"And the Janitor," Falcon finished. 

"The **janitor**?" Bobby gasped.

"That lunatic?" Roberto asked.

"But he's a total spaz!" Kitty protested.

"Well we needed somebody to install the surveillance equipment as well as the missile defense systems!" Falcon snapped. "Oops. I probably shouldn't have mentioned that." 

"You think?" Jinx glared at him. 

"Great!" Ray snapped. "Our entire school is spying on us! What is Kelly in on it too?"

"Are you kidding?" Jinx asked. "What he doesn't know won't give him a heart attack." 

"I can't believe you people have been spying on us all this time!" Jean frowned. "Isn't that some kind of invasion of privacy or something?"

"Well considering how many times we've had to separate you from the Brotherhood these past few months that's not necessarily a bad thing!" Falcon snapped. "Did you really think it was a coincidence that one of us showed up every time you guys started to fight? Like before the Chicago incident on the football field after school?" At this the students became sheepish.

"What?" Xavier looked at them. "You almost got into a brawl with the Brotherhood in public?"

"Several brawls actually," Jinx frowned. "Like Falcon said, we're here to keep an eye on you. Especially to make sure you kids don't tear the school apart!" 

"Okay maybe things with the Brotherhood get a little out of hand sometimes but if we can handle them, we can handle these Cobra characters!" Scott said.

"Yeah we're not exactly new at this fighting stuff you know!" Kurt said. 

"Right!" Bobby said. "If they mess with us they're gonna get iced!" Several other students agreed with him. 

"NO YOU ARE NOT!" Falcon shouted. "This is our job! We are the professionals! We've done things like this before! We don't want to worry about you kids getting in the way!"

"Hey man this is our turf!" Evan protested.

"You may end up getting in our way!" Remy said. "In case you forgot we're the ones with the powers." 

"You people have no idea how dangerous Cobra is!" Jinx told them. "Or how many powerful backers they have!" 

"For example your Vice Principal," Falcon said. "Who just happens to really work for Bolivar Trask." 

"Trask!" Logan popped out his claws. 

"Yeah a real fun guy," Jinx nodded. "He's planning on giving the Baroness plans to build more Sentinels. The irony is Cobra isn't gonna use them just to hunt mutants." 

"We had trouble with just one," Xavier frowned. "An army of those machines could be devastating."

"And it could give Cobra the edge it needs to take over the planet," Falcon told him. 

"Oh this is just getting better and better," Kurt groaned. 

"It might be a good idea if you kids stayed home from school for a while," Falcon said. "We think they've already kidnapped members of the Brotherhood and we don't want to risk any more of you." 

"What?" Several students gasped. 

"We're already looking for them," Falcon said. "But if you can help us pinpoint their location with Cerebro that would be helpful. However that may not be possible. Cobra might have installed special devices that block out mutant signatures." 

"Well all the more reason for us to go to school," Rogue said. "Maybe one of them will slip up and we can find something out that will help us." 

"Personally they can keep the Brotherhood," Evan grumbled.

"That's not funny kid," Falcon looked at him. "You don't know what Cobra does to mutants. Even Trask isn't as bad as they are and that's saying something!" 

"Look we can't just sit around and do nothing," Scott said. "Even if they are our enemies they're still mutants and we should help them." Many other students agreed.

"I think the students have made their choice," Xavier smiled wryly. 

"Why am I not surprised," Falcon sighed. 

"Then there's one other thing you should know," Jinx sighed. "This is going to be really hard on some of you. Especially you Rogue. Mystique's been spying on you. Pretending to be another student."

"Who?" Rogue's eyes narrowed.

"Risty Wilde," Jinx said.

"You mean Mystique has been impersonating Risty?" Rogue asked.

"Rogue…we did some checking," Falcon said gently. "There is no Risty Wilde. It's been her all along." 

Rogue's eyes narrowed. "It's a lie," Her voice was shaking. 

"No, it's not," Jinx said softly. "I'm sorry." 

"YOU'RE LYING!" Rouge tore away and stormed out. 

"I'll go talk to her," Kitty said following her. The sound of several things breaking could be heard in the next room.

"Will she be okay?" Jinx asked.

"Yeah," Logan sighed. "She just needs to blow off some steam. That's all." 

"I don't believe it," Kurt frowned. "She's been pretending to be our friend all along!" 

"Hey she's the one who suggested that party a while back," Evan said. "Remember when Cerebro's files got hacked into? It's all making sense now!" 

"We all need to have a talk about what's going to happen at school tomorrow," Xavier sighed. "I'll see if I can locate the Brotherhood. Students would you mind if Logan and I speak to the Joes alone?" The kids left with Ororo and Hank. He turned to them. "If what you're saying is true, we are in more danger than we thought. Perhaps I should take steps to ensure our safety." 

"Oh no, I know where this is going. Listen Xavier you can't just use your powers to erase everybody's mind all the time. It doesn't work like that," Falcon told him. "Not every situation can be solved like that soccer game incident." 

"How did you find out about that?" Logan gasped.

"You didn't tell them?" Xavier asked.

"Of course not," Logan snapped.

"Well you didn't think you were our only source of information did you Logan?" Falcon asked. "Listen fighting Cobra is our job. Can you at least promise me you'll try to convince some of them to stay home?"

"I think I may convince some of the Newer Mutants," Xavier sighed. "But I can't promise anything. I still don't like the fact that the military knows about us." 

"Well sorry about that but even you guys can't hide forever," Falcon pointed out. 

"I fear you are right," Xavier sighed. 


	40. Snooping Around

**Snooping Around**

Needless to say, all of the X-men (With the obvious exception of Jamie who was home schooled) came to school. This did not make Falcon happy. He would have been even more unhappy if he knew what some of them were up to.

"Hey what are they doing?" Taryn asked as she saw Scott and Jean sneak into Guyrich's office. 

"Dunno," Anya said. "I have an idea, you go watch them." She took off. Taryn cautiously went to the door. It was opened just a crack so she saw them rummaging through his desk. 

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Jean asked.

"We have to get those plans," Scott said rummaging around in Guyrich's desk. "Maybe there's a clue to the Brotherhood here as well." 

"This closet door is locked," Jean tried the door.

"Not for long," Scott carefully used his eyebeams to destroy the lock. 

"Scott what are you…" Taryn gasped as she saw the beam from Scott's eyes disintegrate the lock. She stood there in shock. 

"Uh Taryn…" Scott gulped. "It's not what it looks like!"

"What are you?" She looked at him. 

"Taryn please listen to me," Jean said. "We can explain." 

"What's to explain?" Guyrich came in with Anya. "They're both mutants. Freaks." 

"Where's the Brotherhood Guyrich?" Scott snapped. "Tell us!" 

"Or what?" Guyrich sneered. "You'll blast me in front of your friends? Or maybe you'll get Miss Grey here to read my mind?" 

"I think I'd better go…" Taryn started to back away.

"Not so fast," Anya quickly gave a karate chop to the back of her head knocking her unconscious. She then attacked Jean. 

"Nighty-night Red," She smirked as she took out a small stun taser and zapped Jean, knocking her out.

"Jean!" Scott went to help her but Guyrich knocked him out from behind. 

"Well that was quick," Guyrich said. "So much for the element of surprise. But why did you knock Taryn out?"

"So she wouldn't blab to the rest of the building," Anya explained. "Besides, she was really getting on my nerves." She pressed a button on her lapel. "I just contacted the others. We're gonna have to settle for these two for now. Take 'em back to the hideout!" 

What they forgot to realize was that they had left the door open. Neither of them noticed that someone was watching them. _Oh man, _Paul thought. _I gotta get my dad! _He ran off to get him. 


	41. Captives of Cobra

**Captives of Cobra**

"Great!" Alpine huffed as he and Mainframe ran to the car. "They would kidnap the kids during the one period everyone else has class!" They could see the van that carried the students pulling out of the school driveway. 

"Follow that van!" Mainframe shouted as Alpine drove. 

"Gee there's an original line," Alpine groaned. "What the…Oh great!" 

"What?" 

"Look behind us, it's the Sunshine boys," Alpine referred to the Dreadnoks riding at top speed on their motorcycles behind them. 

"Great," Mainframe instinctively ducked as they shot at them. "That just made my day!" 

The Dreadnoks herded the car into an alley. Before they knew it, their tires were shot out and they were careening towards the wall. Then one of them threw in a gas grenade and everything went black. 

Sometime later…

"Ugh…my head," Alpine groaned. "It feels like Shipwreck had a party in it."

"Mr. Pine?" Scott's voice rang through his head. Alpine looked up. Scott was tied up to one post with Mainframe while Jean and Taryn were tied up to another. "Are you okay?" 

"Yeah nothing that a week in the Bahamas can't cure," Alpine groaned. "You kids okay? Anybody hurt?" 

"No," Jean said. "We're okay." 

"Speak for yourself," Taryn sniffed. "I'd hardly call being kidnapped and tied up okay!" 

"Mainframe?" Alpine asked.

"I'll be fine once the room stops spinning," He groaned. He noticed Jean had a black and gold collar around her neck. "Let me guess, you can't use your powers right?" 

"Yeah," Jean admitted. "How did you…?"

"I noticed that suppression collar around your neck," He told her. "A fun little invention Cobra cooked up." He looked at Scott. "But you're not wearing one? Why?" 

"I dunno," Scott said. "I guess they figured as long as my hands couldn't reach my eyes I was helpless." 

"Well that's a lucky break," Mainframe whispered. "Try contacting your professor. You guys have a mental link. Right?" 

Scott nodded and focused his mind. While he was doing that Mainframe looked around. They were in some kind of abandoned warehouse. "They didn't take my watch either," Mainframe realized and started tapping his wrist to the post. "It has a homing device for situations like this. Hopefully the Joes will get the message." 

"The Professor says to keep calm," Scott said after a few minutes. "They've got the coordinates and they'll be here in about a half hour. Apparently we're way on the outskirts of town." 

"Well that's some good news," Alpine sighed. He heard footsteps coming. "Okay heads up, we're gonna get some company!" 

"I told you to bring more than one suppression collar!" Guyrich snapped at Trask as they walked in. 

"I forgot okay?" Trask snapped back. "I was a little busy dodging SHIELD agents! Besides, we only needed one for the telepath/telekinetic. This other one…" He indicated Scott. "Is helpless as long as he can't move those glasses. Aren't you freak?" He kicked Scott in the leg.

"Oh real brave Trask!" Mainframe snapped. "Picking on kids that are tied up! What's next? Drowning puppies in a bag?" 

"I knew you were nuts Trask but I never figured you for a sadist," Alpine told him. 

"You people aren't smart enough to figure out a lot of things," Trask sneered in Alpine's face. 

"You people?" Alpine rolled his eyes. "_Wonderful!_ He's also a racist. Why am I not surprised?" 

"Where's the other mutants Guyrich?" Mainframe asked.

"They're safely contained elsewhere," Trask smiled. "Don't worry. You'll see them soon enough. Ms. Baron informs me that it's only a pit stop until we take them and you traitors to the human race to the main destination." 

"I hate to break this to you slimeball," Mainframe told him. "Wait a minute, I'm going to enjoy telling you this. You're being played for a fool! Do you know who your so-called new friends are? Ever hear of Cobra?" 

"The terrorist group?" Trask sniffed. "Please! How stupid do you think I am?"

"Pretty stupid actually," The Baroness entered the room in her black uniform with Cobra insignia, her weapon poised at Trask's head. Zartan and the Dreadnoks were behind her snickering. "Take them!" 

"What…what are you doing?" Guyrich gasped as the Dreadnoks tied them up and took the plans. 

"Double crossing you of course," She smirked.

"Way to go Trask you just handed Cobra plans to build their own robot army!" Alpine snapped as Trask was shoved next to him. 

"What? I don't understand!" Guyrich asked, clearly bewildered at what was going on.

"And people call us dumb," Buzzer snorted.

"Let me explain my dear Mr. Guyrich," The Baroness told him. "And I'll try to use small words so you can understand. I am the Baroness. I work for Cobra. So do all the people on my team. Our mission was to get some mutants so Cobra will have extra weapons for use in the research labs and weapons departments. Thanks to you we also get an added bonus, the plans to build an entire army of robot warriors that will help us conquer the world. Not to mention the two men who helped design them so they can help us make more of them. Now do you understand?" 

"The Baroness?" Trask gasped. "I thought you were only a myth!"

"She's real, duh!" Monkeywrench gave him a noogie on the head. 

"For an egghead you ain't that smart," Ripper sneered. 

"So everything was a lie!" Guyrich snapped. "What about those papers you showed me? Dr. Modrovich? What about the government who killed him?" 

"Oh they are real and no his government didn't kill him," She smiled as she put the barrel of the gun in Guyrich's face. "I did." 

Guyrich's jaw was wide open, but no sound was coming out. "Don't worry my dear Henry," Baroness chuckled holstering her weapon. "You and Trask are far to valuable to kill. You have information we need."

"We won't tell you anything!" Trask spat out.

"Wanna bet?" Zartan grabbed Trask's throat. His chest glowed red and seemed to make a menacing humming sound. "I think I might be able to get one or two things out of you." 

"Oh by the way Trask I should point out that Zartan and Zanya here are mutants," Baroness smiled, clearly enjoying Trask's discomfort. 

"Yes I am looking forward to educating you about mutants in the future," Zartan grinned wolfishly. He released Trask's throat and laughed. 

"If you're a mutant then why are you helping Cobra capture mutants?" Scott asked.

"If you saw the paycheck he gets every week you wouldn't ask such stupid questions boy," Baroness told him. 

"So you used me," Taryn said angrily to Zanya.

"Of course I did," She smiled. "It was so easy to use your jealously against them. Nothing personal dear. Just business. Personally girlfriend, I think your taste in boys leaves much to be desired. Scooter here is too much a stick in the mud for my tastes." 

"Oh I don't know, He does have his charms. I think I'm going to enjoy breaking you in," The Baroness purred as she traced her finger on Scott's jaw and down his chest.

"Sexist," Monkeywrench grunted.

"Yeah if we did that to either of them, she'd shoot us," Buzzer grumbled indicating Taryn and Jean. 

Torch caught the look of disgust on Jean and Taryn's faces. "Don't worry kiddies, you little bits of fluff aren't our type anyway!" He took a look at Trask and smirked. "You on the other hand mate, might not be so bad after all." 

Trask gasped in horror while Alpine chuckled. "Will you shut up and do something?" Trask shouted.

"Like what?" Alpine looked at him. "Help. Murder. Police. Happy?" 

"Listen you may have us," Guyrich told them, "But at least let Taryn go. She's an innocent human girl. She has nothing to do with this. She's not even a mutant!" 

"Not yet," Baroness smirked. "I think however that our good Doctor Mindbender might be interested in experimenting with her DNA. There might be something we can do with her. Or add to her." 

Taryn shrinked back in horror at her evil gaze. "YOU SICK DERANGED MONSTER!" Trask spat. 

"Look who's talking," Alpine muttered. 

"Why don't all of you relax and get acquainted while we arrange suitable transportation?" Baroness laughed as she and the Dreadnoks left them. "You'll all be together for a long time." 

"Don't worry kids," Mainframe told them. "We'll get you out of here. By now Paul must have told the Joes as well." 

"Paul is in on this too?" Scott asked.

"Not exactly," Mainframe said. "He sorta just stumbled into this by accident. He's my son." 

"What?" Scott yelped. "You mean he knew about us all this time?"

"Yup," Alpine nodded. 

"Let me see if I get this straight," Taryn sighed. "Jean, you and Scott are mutants. Everyone at the Institute and the Brotherhood is a mutant. Half the teachers are with Cobra; the other half is with GI Joe. My so-called best friend is a mercenary. The Vice-Principal is a nutcase spy and Paul is your son. Is everyone at school part of some super secret club except me?" 

"Unless you count Kelly being a member of the Jackass of the Year club, no," Guyrich spat. 

"I thought you and Trask shared that title?" Alpine asked. 

"Look if you will stop making jokes maybe we can figure a way out of here!" Trask snapped. "I created Sentinels to save the world, not destroy it!"

"Save it? For who?" Scott snapped. "You caused more damage downtown than any mutant! Most of us just want to live peacefully. What gives you the right to decide who's fit to live and who isn't?" 

"Being a member of the human race gives me that right you freak!" Trask snapped. "You deserve to be wiped off the face of the earth, all of you! You're a disease that has to be cleansed! You…"

"OH SHUT UP!" Taryn shouted. "You are such a jerk! Who knows what Cobra's gonna do to us and all you can do is babble your stupid point of view! I don't really care about mutants at this point! I just want to get out of here and go home!" 

"That's the first intelligent thing that's been said so far," Mainframe said. "Okay we just have to do a few simple things, like escape…" 

"Get the other mutants," Jean reminded him.

"Stop Cobra from using my plans!" Trask snapped.

"Oh shut up Trask!" Everyone shouted. 

"Okay, let's review shall we? So all we have to do is escape, save the kids. Get Jean out of that collar. Get the Sentinel plans back from Cobra and keep these two from running off," Alpine said. "Not to mention take on the Dreadnoks and the Baroness and rescue any other mutants we might find. Gee, and I thought this was going to be difficult." 


	42. Cobra Doublecrossed

**Cobra Doublecrossed**

Back at the school Falcon was calling the Joe base for some back up. However other events were happening that soon changed that plan. 

"What do you mean the base is under attack?" Falcon yelped. "Come in! Come in!" He looked at them. "Only two Joes are near enough to help. We're on our own." 

"So it's just the four of us," Gung Ho sighed. "Against an entire army. Wonderful." 

"Wrong," Rogue came up with the remaining X-Men and the New Mutants. "You need an army, you got one!" 

"Plus one," Wanda walked in. 

"I told her what happened to her brother and the others," Rogue explained.

"Nobody beats up my brother except me," Wanda said coldly. 

"We don't have much of a choice," Jinx told him.

"Fine," Falcon sighed. "But I call the shots! Get it? Now let's go over our plan of attack!" 

************************************************************************

"Guys can anyone hear me?" Fred asked weakly.

"Barely," Pietro groaned. 

"Where are we?" Lance asked. "What's going on?"

"Some nutjob named Mindbender drugged us," Pietro said. "Gonna use us for some kind of experiments." 

"Wonderful," John groaned. "Just wait until I'm free…" 

Several men in white appeared. "Grab the mutants and get them ready for transport." One of them said. "Darkshadow is waiting." 

"No way! Ugghh…" Lance focused his powers. The ground shook. 

"Knock him out you idiot!" One of the men in white hissed. "Or he'll bring the entire place down!" One of them did so with a syringe. 

"You bastards!" Fred snarled, trying to strain against his bonds, but it was no good. 

"What's going on here?" Dr. Mindbender walked in.

"We are taking these mutants somewhere else," One told him. 

"I had no orders for them to be moved," Mindbender frowned. "Wait here." 

"We don't take orders from you," One grabbed his arms, restraining him. 

"Hey you ninjas work for Cobra!" Mindbender screamed. "Just wait until your master Darkshadow hears about this!"

"Who do you think ordered us to do this?" One of them laughed as Mindbender was knocked out. 

When he came to, the ninjas were gone along with the mutants. "Cobra Commander is not gonna be happy about this," Mindbender grumbled as he went to report the incident to his leader. 


	43. The Rescue

**If you are wondering why the Cobra ninjas are running around on their own, well check out 'Ronin Toad'. It's explained in more detail. If you have read it and want me to get on with the story well okay. **

I'll do it.

No more delays.

Here we go. 

**Rescue**

In the warehouse the captives had spent several minutes listening to Guyrich and Trask rant about their views of mutants and blame each other. Finally Alpine couldn't take it anymore. "Will you two shut up!" He shouted. "If this is Cobra's idea of torture, it's working!"

"How are you holding up Taryn?" Scott asked, concerned.

"Well other than the fact that I'm freaking out about being held hostage fine," Taryn snapped. "And that I've been going to school with mutants. I've dated a mutant and not even known it!" 

"Taryn I know you hate us but we couldn't tell you or anyone we were mutants!" Jean said. "Try to understand that." 

"Jean let me take a wild guess," Taryn said. "Your telepathy isn't that good is it? I'm mad at you guys for not telling me the truth! What did you think I would do? Go run to the cops or something? Then again with all that's happened I can hardly blame you for it. I…I'm sorry I got jealous of you Jean. But I liked Scott and I hated the way you treated him when you were going with Duncan and…" 

"Yeah well I guess I was kind of being a jerk," Jean said.

"Kind of?" Scott asked wryly.

"Okay I was a jerk. And the worst part of it all it was all over Duncan. God how could I have dated that creep?" 

"Don't ask me, you're the one that can read minds," Taryn said. 

"If this Afterschool Special is over can we figure out a way to get out of here?" Trask shouted. 

"I've been thinking," Mainframe looked above Alpine. "See that mirror above you?" 

"Yeah," Alpine said. "Guys driving forklifts use them so they can see if someone's in back of them. They put them all over warehouses. So what?" 

"Remember that time in Machu Pichu when we all got trapped by Cobra and we used a mirror to burn our way loose?" Mainframe asked.

"Oh I get it," Alpine said. "But we don't have the sun." 

"We don't need it," Mainframe looked at Scott. "Hey kid can you shake those glasses off?"

"Uh what is he doing?" Trask asked. 

"But if I do I won't have any control over my eye beams," Scott said. "What if I fry you guys?"

"What?" Trask yelped.

"That's a chance we are gonna have to take now do it!" Alpine ordered.

"Uh wait a minute…" Trask said nervously as Scott shook off his glasses. "He's not gonna do what I think he's gonna do is he?" 

"You know it just might work," Guyrich said.

"What if it doesn't?" Trask yelped.

"Well then we'll know what a Kentucky Fried Chicken feels like," Alpine said. "Okay kid when I say now, you open those eyes for just a second. All right. Tilt your head a bit more…that's it! Perfect! Now!" 

Scott did so. The beam reflected off the mirror and through the ropes holding Alpine and Trask. They were freed instantly. "Way to go kid!" Alpine started to untie them. 

"Now all we have to do is get that collar off Jean," Scott said putting on his glasses after he was untied. 

"So that's why you always wear those shades," Taryn said. 

"Yeah," Scott admitted. "It's not exactly the safest power in the world." 

"We can talk about this later," Mainframe looked at Trask. "Okay Trask, do you have the key for this?" 

"Why should I?" Trask snarled. 

"Hello?" Taryn snapped. "We're still prisoners here! We need all the help we can get!" 

"Too bad, because I don't have the key," Trask snarled. "I gave it to the Baroness!"

"Oh well that's a big help," Alpine groaned. "Oh one other thing…" He kicked Trask in the shin. "That's for kicking the kid!" 

"Oh really I thought it was because you didn't like me," Trask snarled.

"No this is for me not liking you," Alpine kicked him in the other shin. 

"Don't worry I think we may not need it anyway," Mainframe looked at Taryn. "Is that a gold necklace you're wearing?" 

"Yeah," She looked at it.

"Do you mind if I borrow it?" Mainframe asked. She shrugged and handed it to her. "Thanks." 

"What are you going to do with that?" Trask snapped. "Put on a fashion show?"

"Very funny," Mainframe took it and slid it down the back of Jean's collar. "Watch and learn kids. Now Jean I want you to concentrate on the lock of the collar. If I'm right the gold will help counteract the collar and you can override the controls." 

"I…I can't," Jean said. 

"Yes you can just concentrate," Mainframe said. 

"How do you know about this stuff?" Scott asked.

"Hey you don't fight Cobras for years without learning a few tricks around their tricks," Alpine told him. 

"Impressive," Guyrich nodded. "It's a pity your knowledge of mutants is being used for the wrong side." 

"I was gonna say the same about you," Mainframe told him.

"Uh oh," Trask said as the sound of footsteps came closer. "Company's coming. Hurry up!"

"I'm going as fast as I can!" Jean snapped. "This isn't easy you know!"

"You're doing fine Jean," Mainframe told her. "Cyclops you're gonna have to cover for us until she gets loose and we get some weapons." 

"Wonderful," Trask groaned.

"Cyclops?" Taryn looked at him.

"It's my codename," Scott explained. Then the door exploded open. To their surprise Monkeywrench and Ripper fell flat on their faces. 

"This is not good," Ripper gulped, looking as if he had been beaten in a fight. 

"Hey the Calvary's here!" Alpine shouted.

"Uh not exactly," Monkeywrench gulped as he pointed at the door. There stood several men clad in white carrying huge rifles. "Duck!" He screamed as he dived for cover as they shot at him. 

"Please tell me they're on our side," Taryn yelped as they started firing. They all ducked behind some crates.

"Those blooming ninjas have gone batty!" Ripper.

"Yeah they've gone and turned traitor!" Monkeywrench explained. "They want the Sentinel plans and Trask and the mutants for themselves!" 

"Oh well this is just great!" Alpine groaned. "Just what we needed!" 

************************************************************************

"Okay here's the plan," Falcon explained as they made their way to the warehouse area. "Team one will hit the front and team two will go to the back. That's where Scott and the others are being held captive." 

"What about the Brotherhood?" Wanda asked.

"Xavier got a reading with Cerebro," Jinx explained. "Apparently they're not too far from here near the docks. The two Joes on backup will go there to rescue them." 

"Wait…you're only gonna send two Joes after the Brotherhood?" Kitty asked.

"We'll back them up as soon as we take care of the Cobras here," Falcon said. "Besides, I know which Joes are going, believe me, those Brotherhood Kids are in good hands!" 

************************************************************************

"Stop struggling," The ninja informed Fred as he was dragged, bound and chained towards a boat. "The drugs and that collar we placed on your neck will keep you helpless." Most of the other Brotherhood members were unconscious. Still it took several ninjas to handle Fred. 

"You didn't give me any drugs," Fred snarled. "And I'm still strong without my powers! I'm gonna tear you apart! I'm gonna wipe the walls with you! I'm gonna…" He stopped as the ninjas stood there silently. He looked and saw that before them stood a man dressed in black from head to toe. "Uh…who's that guy?" 

They stood there facing each other silently for what seemed like a long time. "Uh…hello?" Fred asked. "Who are you?" No answer. They still stared at each other. "Okay I think I saw something like this in a movie once. This is one of those samurai deals were you guys stare at each other before fighting right?" 

The dark clad warrior drew his katana sword. The other ninjas did the same. "I'm right," Fred gulped. 

Suddenly the white ninjas charged. The black ninja easily fought them off. They battled with each other savagely, yet flawlessly as any expert dance. Fred stared at them as they fought. "Wow." Was all he could say. "They're good." 

Yet as the black ninja knocked several of his assailants down, more appeared to take their place. "Okay this is not good," Fred gulped. 

"Hey Snake Eyes!" A voice boomed. "Glad to see you saved some for me!" 

Fred looked up and saw a huge drill instructor with silver sunglasses and a small moustache. "Okay now who's this guy?" Fred asked aloud. 

"Name's Slaughter," The drill instructor smiled. "Sergeant Slaughter. Wanna see how I got my name?" 

************************************************************************

Back in the warehouse Scott was trying to keep the ninjas at bay. Alpine had 'persuaded' the two Dreadnoks to give him a rifle. Still they were outgunned and outnumbered. They were just about to be overrun when…

"Got it!" Jean crowed. The collar fell off her. She used her telekinesis to create a shield protecting them and then started using her powers to fling the ninjas all around. 

"Now that's what I call timing," Alpine shouted. "Hey!" Trask and Guyrich ran off. "Where are they going?" 

"Forget them!" Mainframe grabbed a weapon. "The kids are our first priority! And as for you…" 

"Oh yeah!" Monkeywrench threw a grenade at them with a smirk on his face. 

The smirk quickly went away when Jean used her powers to send the grenade right back at him. The Dreadnoks raced away in time before it exploded. They escaped through a hole in the wall the explosion made. 

"Well what are you waiting for?" Alpine told the others. "An engraved invitation? Let's move it!" 

Not far away Falcon was about to order the attack when he heard a blast. "What the heck?" He looked and saw Cobras and Cobra ninjas shooting at each other. "They're firing on each other? What are they doing?" 

"Maybe they're having a dispute about their health care plan," Jinx quipped. "Who cares? Let's go! Yo Joe!" The two teams moved out.

Meanwhile Mainframe led the others out of the warehouse. "Okay let's go this way!" He ordered. "It's safer!" They turned the corner.

And ran smack dab into the middle of a fight between the ninjas and the remaining Cobra soldiers. "You got a strange definition of the word safe!" Alpine shouted as they ducked. To his surprise, the Cobras stopped firing on them and went back to firing on each other. "They're more interested in fighting each other!"

"That gives us an opportunity!" Mainframe said. "Lay down some cover fire!" 

"You got it!" Alpine did so. 

"Now run!" Mainframe ordered the kids. 

"You called it!" Jean shouted as she and Scott charged into battle with the Cobras.

"That's not what I meant!" Mainframe groaned. "Taryn at least…" He turned around and saw Taryn beating the stuffing out of a Cobra soldier. "This is not going to plan people!" 

"Freeze Joe!" A Cobra soldier came up to Mainframe.

"Interesting choice of words," Bobby quipped as he used his powers to freeze him. 

"Well this is just getting better and better!" The Baroness groaned as she saw the remaining Joes and the mutants join in the fray. "Okay who is the idiot who authorized those ninjas to be here in the first place?"

"Cobra Commander," Zartan told her.

"It figures," She grumbled firing shots everywhere. "Okay who has the Sentinel plans?" 

"I thought you had them!" Zartan asked.

"I did!" She snapped between shots. "Then I gave them to you to put in the vault which obviously didn't happen because the ninjas blew it up! So where are they?"

"I gave them to Zandar!" Zartan said.

"I gave them to Zarana," Zandar said.

"I gave them to Zanya!" She said.

"I gave them back to Zandar!" Zanya said.

"I thought you gave them to me?" Zartan asked.

"No that was the second time, the first time I gave them to…" 

"JUST ONE OF YOU TELL ME WHERE THE DAMN PLANS ARE!" Baroness screeched. 

"I just remembered. Buzzer has them!" He pointed to Buzzer on the battlefield. 

"Say your prayers Joe!" Buzzer shouted grabbing a rifle. 

"Now I lay **you** down to sleep!" Gung Ho shouted as he punched him out. 

"Well not for much longer," Baroness grumbled. "COBRA! GET THE PLANS!" 

"Oh no you don't!" Torch tackled Gung Ho and grabbed the plans. He in turn was tackled by a ninja who was tackled by a Cobra soldier who was tackled by another ninja. Torch grabbed them back from the ninja. "Got 'em!" He crowed.

Then Amara came up and shot waves of fire. Some of it caught onto the plans setting them ablaze. "Don't got 'em!" Torch yelped. 

"I think it's time we took a strategic retreat!" Zartan yelped as he was nearly fried by Tabitha's energy bombs.

"For once you have the right idea!" Baroness and the Dreadnoks raced off. 

From a distance, Guyrich fumed. "The plans are destroyed!"

"Not really!" Trask said grabbing a jeep. "They're in my head. I designed them, remember? Let's get out of here!" They leapt into the jeep and drove off.

"So much for operating in Bayville," Trask groaned.

"Not so fast," Guyrich snapped. "We're not leaving town yet! There's some unfinished business we have to take care of!" He laughed as they drove away. 

It wasn't long before the remaining Cobra soldiers surrendered. Without their leader they were without direction. The ninjas simply disappeared. The ones that were able to get away that is.

"Got another one!" Tabitha laughed as she and Rahnee in her wolf form chased another ninja. 

"All in all not a bad day's work," Falcon looked around pleased. "Great work kids!" 

"You're all okay!" Kitty waved to the former captives.

"Yeah we're fine," Jean said. 

"The Baroness and the Dreadnoks got away," Mainframe said. "So did Trask and Guyrich." 

"We haven't seen the last of them," Gung Ho said. "But we can cart these bozos off to jail." 

"Everybody here?" Scott asked.

"I think so," Amara said. 

"Where's Wanda?" Falcon asked.

"I think she took off to go help her brother and the others," Gung Ho said. "I have a feeling we should stay out of her way." 

************************************************************************

Meanwhile the two Joes at the docks were fighting off the remaining ninjas with great enjoyment. But Fred enjoyed it even more, temporarily forgetting about his own captivity while watching the fight. 

"Wow what a great fight!" Fred exclaimed as he watched them go at it. "I wish you guys were awake to see this. You're missing a great fight! That and popcorn. I could really go for some popcorn right about now. Hey watch out for that guy…Oh you saw him! Hey Slaughter behind you! There are two…well not anymore. Wow what a backflip! This fight can not get any cooler!" 

Suddenly several ninjas were thrown about everywhere. Pieces of debris attacked them. Wanda stood there flinging hex bolts at them, enraged. "Okay I was wrong," Fred said cheerfully. 

Wanda used her powers to melt the restraints away from Fred and the others. "All right!" Fred crowed, flexing his muscles. "Finally I get into the action! Aw nuts!" All around him were the white ninjas, unconscious. "It's over already?" 

"That was fun," Sgt. Slaughter chuckled. "Haven't had a good workout like that in ages." 

"Hey Wanda you missed a great fight!" Fred said excitedly. "We were all trapped by this Mindbender dude who wanted to experiment on us, but then these ninjas came along and took us cause **they** wanted to experiment on us! Then just before they shoved us into the boat this guy in black shows up and they're staring each other down and then they attack each other and everybody's waving swords and doing more backflips and stuff and then more white ninjas show up but then this Slaughter guy shows up and really kicked some butt! Everybody's flying around everywhere and it was really cool!" 

"Shut up Blob!" Wanda snapped.

"Okay shutting up," Fred backed down quickly. 

Wanda glared at the two Joes. "Leave us," Wanda hissed. "I don't want to fight you now but I will. Blob, let's get them home." 

"You're welcome," Sgt. Slaughter grumbled. He turned to Snake Eyes. "Grateful isn't she?" 


	44. Back to Normal, Whatever That is...

**Back To Normal, Whatever that is…**

It was early in the evening when they returned to the mansion. Everyone was congratulating each other. Jean took Taryn home who had agreed to keep their secret if they never told her parents that she had been kidnapped. "Well I say it was a pretty successful mission all around," Scott said. "So I guess now that Cobra's gone you guys will be going too huh?" 

"Actually we're going to stick around for a while," Jinx said. 

"What do you mean?" Rogue asked. 

"Well headquarters is convinced that after today's incident you kids still need someone to watch out for you," Falcon said. "In fact they're going to send a few more subs tomorrow to fill the place of the Cobras." 

"So you're gonna keep spying on us?" Kitty fumed. "But you don't need to! Hello! We beat the bad guys!" 

"Hello!" Alpine snapped. "Have all of you forgotten that Cobra is still out there? And Trask and Guyrich aren't that far behind! They're not gonna just let this matter drop! Trust me! We know about people like them! They are not just gonna go away!" 

"Students," Xavier said. "I think it would be best if we adults finished this conversation." 

"Professor as leader of the team I think I should stay," Scott said.

"Very well," Xavier nodded. "You may, the rest of you go upstairs. There's still school tomorrow as well as the dance." The students did so. 

"I understand you aren't happy about this," Gung Ho told them. "But it's really for your own protection." 

"Protection?" Xavier looked at him. "I'm not so sure." 

"Don't tell me you're afraid of us," Falcon scoffed.

"I'm more afraid of what you would do with the knowledge you have acquired about us," Xavier pointed out. "I have to protect my students." 

"We're not sure that it's a good idea for you to remain here," Ororo said. 

"Well I'm not so sure it's a good idea for you to have your own little kiddie commando squad running around, so I guess that makes us even." Falcon asked. 

"I set up the X-Men not just to protect mutants but to protect humanity if need be," Xavier said. 

"Protect us?" Mainframe looked at him. "Gee and all this time I thought that was our job." 

"As mutants we have a duty to protect others with our powers," Xavier said. "As well as teach humans to accept us."

"Teach us?" Falcon asked. "Excuse me, but last I checked humans have been on this earth a lot longer than mutants! Mutants are the children of humanity. Not the other way around!" 

"Typical kids," Alpine quipped. "Think they know everything." 

"I'm serious," Xavier frowned.

"So am I," Falcon said. "Look there is a time and a place for standing on your own, but now isn't it. Personally I think that you training a group of kids to be vigilantes is a big mistake, but I'm not gonna tell you to stop. Even though technically it is illegal!" 

"How generous of you," Xavier said sarcastically. 

"You know what I think?" Gung Ho looked at Xavier. "I think you're scared of us even more than humans are scared of you. We may not have fancy powers, but we humans have guts and ingenuity that's pulled our fat out of a lot of sticky situations long before you came around. Humans may fear you because they don't understand you, but you fear them because you understand them perfectly." 

"Or you think you understand us," Mainframe said. 

"This is exactly what I am worried about," Xavier said. "Ingenuity you say? The same type of ingenuity that created the atomic bomb? The same kind of courage that was used in ancient times to destroy and enslave different cultures? We understand human reactions better than you think and the tendency of humans to exploit people or things for their own selfish goals. Especially the military." 

"You people are unbelievable!" Falcon threw up his hands. "You all talk about co-existing with humans but when it comes down to it, you guys are as bad as Magneto! No, I take that back, at least he practices what he preaches!" 

"We're nothing like Magneto!" Scott snapped.

"Don't be so sure," Falcon told him.

"This isn't just about Cobra is it?" Xavier looked at him.

"No," Falcon admitted. "Our other objective is to make sure your kids and the Brotherhood don't get out of control." 

"So you are spying on us for the government," Xavier frowned. 

"Somebody has to keep an eye out for you," Falcon said. "Quite frankly, with all the trouble you and the kids get into I'm amazed Bayville High is still standing. I mean how many times have you guys destroyed the school gym? Two, three?" 

"Look Chuck I admit I'm not to crazy about it either but they do have a point," Logan told him.

"Trust you to defend them," Ororo sniffed.

"Listen lady they're the good guys!" Logan snapped. "They just want to keep these kids alive and to stop any more incidents like this from happening ever again!" 

"Really?" Xavier raised an eyebrow. "While I was on Cerebro I detected a small blip on the Joe base. It was brief and there was no way I could get a positive identification, but the signal was clearly a mutant signature. Is that mutant there on that base to protect him? Or for some other purpose?" 

"You have a mutant on your base?" Logan looked at them. "Who is he?" 

"That's classified," Falcon said simply.

"Don't hand me that line! Who is it?" Logan snapped.

"Look all I can say is that mutant is there of his or her own free will," Falcon told him. "We are not forcing anyone to stay there if they don't have to." 

"Why do I have a hard time believing that?" Xavier asked. 

"It's the truth whether you want to believe it or not," Falcon said. "I guess when it comes down to it, you're going to have to trust us."

"I don't know if I can take that chance," Xavier said. He focused his mind on Falcons. Suddenly he gave a loud cry. At the same time something sparked on Falcon's forehead. 

"Ow!" Falcon snapped. "What the…you tried to read my mind didn't you?" 

"So much for trust," Alpine grunted.

"I wouldn't try that again if I were you," Falcon growled. 

"What was that?" Xavier groaned, rubbing his temples. 

"A little device to keep telepaths from nosing around where they aren't supposed to," Falcon indicated the small Band-Aid like device on his temple, now plainly seen. "See that's what I'm talking about! You're just as reckless with your powers as the kids!" 

"I only use my gifts as I see fit to protect mutants," Xavier rubbed his head.

"Funny," Falcon glared. "That's the same line Magneto uses." 

They glared at each other for a moment. "I'm not crazy about the situation either," Falcon said. "But the fact is you're stuck with us. We're here whether you like it or not. I'd rather work with you than against you. We both have the same goals. You want mutants to start getting along with humans? Well now's your chance. If you can't do that, then maybe you agree with Magneto more than you think." Falcon stormed out. 

"Well that went well," Scott groaned. 

"You really shouldn't have done that Chuck. Look I'm not exactly known for being a team player," Logan told them. "But even I know when I'm outmatched. You have no idea how big Cobra really is. That little scrap we had with them is nothing compared to what they are really capable of." 

"It appears we have no choice," Ororo sighed. 

"I just hope nothing more comes from this," Xavier sighed. "But I have a sinking feeling things are only going to get worse." 

************************************************************************

"I can't believe we got out of that," Lance groaned as they made their way home.

"I can't believe those soldiers and mercenaries were there in our school and we didn't know about them," Pietro groaned. "I wonder if Mystique knew?" 

"Don't see the boss lady anywhere," John said. The phone rang. He answered it. "Oh…hello sir. Well you see, you'd better let Pietro tell you." He handed him the phone. "It's your dad." 

"Sir?" Pietro gulped. "Well we were just in a battle with some soldiers and stuff. We don't know where they came from. They've been spying on us at school! Yeah I had no idea! Mystique? I don't know where she went. Maybe she got captured too? Okay. Okay I'll tell her." He hung up with a grin on his face.

"What?" Lance asked.

"Somebody's gonna get in trouble," Pietro smiled. "And for once it isn't us!" 


	45. Kelly Gets Some New Subs

**Kelly Gets Some New Subs**

"Why me?" Kelly banged his head on the office door. "Why me? Several teachers disappear on a Friday, the night of the Homecoming Dance! And there's no replacements!" 

"Oh I wouldn't say that." 

Kelly looked up and saw a huge man with a small black moustache smiling at him. "Who are you?" Kelly groaned. 

"I'm Mr. Brown," The man smiled. "I'll be replacing Ms. Baron in her history classes. Oh and several other substitutes will be here as well." 

Suddenly there was a huge explosion. "Is one of them in the chemistry lab?" Kelly groaned. 

"Uh yeah," Mr. Brown gulped.

"Terrific!" Kelly raced off to find the latest disaster that befell him. He passed Paul and Taryn in the hall.

Meanwhile Paul was walking down the hall with Taryn. "So you didn't tell your parents anything about yesterday?" Paul asked.

"What was I going to say?" Taryn said. " 'Oh I was kidnapped by terrorists who were posing as my teachers. They were really after Scott and Jean who are mutants, but I happened to get in the way'? Even I can't believe that. I just told them I was with Scott and Jean after school yesterday, which is the truth so to speak." She sighed. "It feel so weird having a secret like that." 

"Think how Scott and the others must feel," Paul said. "I mean they have to live with this kind of stuff their whole lives. I don't know how they do it." 

"But your dad's one of the Joe team," Taryn said. "You must have some idea how he does it." 

"Well I'm getting one now," Paul said. "So…Are you going to the dance tonight?"

"No point now," Taryn sighed. "Scott's taking Jean and Anya obviously isn't going to show up to hang out with. Everyone else I know is taking someone." 

"Well…um…so would you mind going to the dance with me?" Paul asked. "I mean if you don't want to that's okay…"

"You know something," Taryn said. "Why not? I'd love to go. Finally something normal in our lives for a change." 

Meanwhile the Brotherhood was looking around, pondering the latest development. "Gee that teacher looks familiar," Fred scratched his head. 

"He should," Wanda said. "He's one of the soldiers that fought off those ninjas yesterday." 

"Oh yeah," Fred said. 

"I don't believe this!" Lance snapped. "This stinks! We have government agents spying on us and there's nothing we can do about it!" 

"Just play along for now," Pietro said. "Magneto's working on something. He'll take care of the problem! Trust me." 


	46. Cobra Commander's Not Happy

**Cobra Commander's Not Happy**

"THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!" Cobra Commander screamed at his troops from Bayville in what was left of his office. 

"Commander we were double crossed by Darkshadow's ninjas," Baroness said. "It is hardly our fault that the mutants escaped and we lost the plans." 

"I was talking about the state of my office but yes Baroness that too," He hissed and kicked the wall. "I just had this redecorated last month! It took me forever to get the right shade of blue and green tones! And now it's ruined!" 

"As tragic as the loss of your office is Commander I believe the mutants are a much larger priority," Baroness told him. 

"Trust you to see the dark side of the situation," Cobra Commander sneered. "Months of planning ruined! All this work for what? A big fat nothing!" He threw a chair at the wall. 

"Let us look at the positive aspects my dear Cobra Commander," Destro said smoothly. "We did recover the Latachris…"

"What's left of it," A soldier sniggered.

"The traitor Darkshadow is dead and can no longer plague us. As well as most of his ninja cohorts," Destro continued. "And we do have valuable information on the mutants of Bayville as well as some mutant DNA Dr. Mindbender wisely procured from the mutants we had in custody for a while. And let's not forget that Darkshadow did damage the Joe base so it is not a total failure. We can always get the mutants some other time when it suits us." 

"For once noble Destro you are correct," Cobra Commander looked at him. 

"And when will that be?" Dr. Mindbender grumbled. "By now the Joes are in place at the school. They'll be waiting for us if we attack." 

"Unless we attack now when they least expect us to do," Baroness said.

"That will never work," Zartan grumbled.

"Will too!" Baroness snapped.

"Will not!" Zartan snapped back. 

"Will too!" 

"Will not!" 

"That's it!" Cobra Commander interrupted them. "We are going to do what we should have done in the first place! Get all the troops assembled! Tomorrow we are just going to go to Bayville and take those mutants by force!" 


	47. Confrontations and Revelations

**Confrontations and Revelations**

That night the school gym was alive with music and the sound of teenagers enjoying themselves. The chaperones watched the kids so that they wouldn't enjoy themselves too much. For many of the students, this night was a welcome break from the recent events. 

"You know you really are a good dancer," Taryn laughed.

"Well you're not that bad yourself," Paul admitted. 

"Hey!" Scott and Jean bumped into them.

"Hey there!" Taryn said cheerfully. "You two having fun?"

"Yeah!" Jean laughed. "I haven't danced this much in ages!" The happy couple twirled around the dance floor.

"You're over Scott I see," Paul said.

"Well if I ever needed a lesson on jealousy and how it can hurt people Anya taught me that," Taryn sighed. "Looking at them now…I guess they really do belong together. Besides, maybe it is for the best." She grinned at him. "Wanna get some punch?"

"Love to," Paul laughed. They waved to Kurt and Amanda on the dance floor.

"You know it's nice now that someone else knows your secret," Amanda said. "See I told you people would accept you once they got to know you."

"At least she didn't scream when she saw me," Kurt sighed.

"Well I didn't," Amanda put her hands on his face. "And if people can't deal with that it's their loss!" They kissed.

"Oh brother," John grumbled as the rest of the Brotherhood watched the action from the sidelines. "Puke alert at twelve o'clock." 

"It's only 9:30," Fred looked at his watch. "Aw don't worry about it man, hey at least the food is good. 

"What's left of it," Pietro snickered. "Now where is Daniels? I want to see if I can steal his date away again!" 

"He didn't bring a date," Wanda pointed out.

"Oh darn," Pietro snapped his fingers. "Now where's the challenge in that? However maybe we have more important targets to think about." He indicated the Joes.

"What are you gonna do?" John asked.

"Haven't decided yet," Pietro said. "But when I do, I promise it will be a blast!" 

Not much further away, oblivious to his teammate's plans Lance danced with Kitty. "See," Lance said to Kitty as they danced, "Nothing bad is happening." 

"What about Mystique?" Kitty asked.

"Who cares?" Lance laughed. "Besides, I have a feeling Magneto isn't gonna be too thrilled with her dropping the ball on the Joe thing. Speaking of which," He gave a glance at some of the Joes watching the students. "Man they give me the creeps!" 

"Yeah I know," She sighed. "But they seem to want to help us."

"Help themselves is more like it," Lance grumbled. "I don't trust them. And you shouldn't either! For all we know, they could try and capture us like Cobra did." 

"You don't know that," Kitty pointed out. The music started to slow down. "Can we not talk about this anymore?"

"Okay," Lance put his arms around her. "Let's forget about them for now."

They danced together, moving slowly to the rhythm of the music. "You know something," Kitty said. "Whatever happens, I'm glad to be with you here tonight. If you were hurt…"

"Shhh," Lance put a finger to her lips. "We promised not to talk about that. Remember?" 

"Okay," She put her head on his chest." 

"Kitty…I just don't want this night to end," Lance whispered in her ear as he held her tight. "I've never felt this happy before. We're together, that's all I ever cared about. I know I've made mistakes in the past, but I want to make up for them. If you'll let me." 

Rogue and Remy danced nearby watching them. "They look good together," Rogue said as they danced. 

"Hmmm," Remy said. "Not as good as you look. Did I tell you how beautiful you are tonight?" 

"Only about a hundred times," Rogue smiled.

"You want me to stop?"

"I didn't say that!" Rogue giggled. 

"Hey you two," Risty approached. "So how's my favorite couple doing?"

"Oh fine," Rogue replied sweetly. "No date for you?"

"You know me," Risty shrugged. "Single Party girl."

"Oh I know you all right," Rogue said. 

"May I have your attention please!" Principal Kelly spoke using a microphone.

"No you may not!" Pietro quipped. 

"It's time to announce this year's Homecoming Queen and King," Kelly said. "This is based on your votes."

"Oh really I thought it was based upon the results of a skeet shooting contest," Pietro quipped. 

"And our Homecoming Queen is…Jean Grey!" The crowd cheered. Kelly read the second name. "Our king is…Duncan Matthews!"

"Oh man," Taryn groaned. "I forgot…Anya stuffed the ballot boxes!" 

"Well this ought to be interesting," Risty snickered as the two glared at each other. "I can't wait until the spotlight dance." 

"Hey can we talk somewhere?" Rogue said. "I have to tell you something. Excuse us please Remy." 

They went out of the gym to the hallway. "Well what is it?" Risty asked. "This is about Remy right?" 

Rogue swiftly pinned Risty to the lockers. "A simple no would have sufficed!" Risty said surprised. 

"Did you really think I would never find out?" Rogue hissed at her. "Did you really think I was that stupid?" 

"What are you talking about?" 

"What do you think I'm talking about Risty? Or should I say Mystique?" Rogue shouted. 

She looked at her. "You know."

"Yeah," She spat. "I always knew you were low but this is the worst thing you have ever done!" 

"You don't understand," Mystique returned to her natural form. "I was only doing it to help you."

"Oh I understand perfectly," Rogue growled as she let go. "You did it because you needed to use me for your own purposes! Tell me, how exactly were you helping me when you caused that chaos at the mansion the time we threw a party and Arcade nearly made shish kabob out of us? How were you helping me when you lied to my face every day about our friendship? How were you helping me when you reported on our activities to Magneto? How were you helping me when you left me behind in that lab of Trask's? Thank god we got out before they really did any damage! No thanks to you!" 

"Rogue I can explain…"

"Save it!" Rogue snapped. "I've heard it before! You claim you care about me but the only person you really care about is yourself! You've done nothing but lie and hurt me, Kurt and all my friends! I should take you out once and for all!" She took off her glove and made a fist. 

"Don't!" Remy put his hand on her shoulder, stopping her. "You do that chere, you'll sink to her level! Is that what you want?" 

Rogue glared at her. "Go," She snarled. "Get out of here. I never want to see you or Risty or anyone else you pretend to be again. If you do, next time the gloves will come off! Understand?"

"And I won't stop her next time," Remy growled. "And I think it's time we tell Lance and Kitty just how you know all about them getting together. Oh yes I think the Brotherhood will be very interested in that little piece of information. As well as you having a liaison with Monsieur Zartan." 

"How did you…?" Mystique went pale.

"I had a little talk with one of the Joes yesterday," Remy smirked. "They're better at spying than you. You're finished Mystique. I'd get out of town if I were you. I don't think Magneto will be too happy to hear about this, cause you know Pietro's gonna blab to his daddy after he hears about it!" 

"Get out," Rogue hissed. Mystique frowned and shapeshifted back to Risty. Then walked away. 

"I'm proud of you chere," Remy said. "I know how hard that must have been on you." 

"I can't believe I trusted her," Rogue held back her tears.

"That one is a sick woman," Remy hugged her. "But don't let that one bad experience with her let you not trust anybody in the future. You're better than that. You're better than she is. You just proved it. Now let's go back into the dance and find Lance and Kitty."

"Right," Rogue and Remy went into the dance. 

As soon as they went back in Guyrich and Trask appeared. They walked briskly down the corridors. "If you want something done right you have to do it yourself," Guyrich snapped checking his pistol. 

"That's right," Trask nodded. Holding his. "It's time those mutants are exposed once and for all. I can't believe how easy it was to knock out that one Joe guard."

"They've gone complacent in their victory yesterday," Guyrich headed for his office. "Well they are in for a surprise! Come in here." He opened the door to his office. And came face to face with Principal Kelly making out with Dorothy on top of his desk. "Oh for crying out loud!" Guyrich rolled his eyes. "You're worse than the students!" 

"Um…" Kelly rearranged his clothing. "Henry…where have you been all day?"

"Trying to save idiots like you from themselves," Guyrich held up his weapon. "Hands up!" 

"Henry what's going on?" Kelly gasped.

"I'll tell you what's going on you imbecile!" Trask spat. "You allowed this school to become a haven of disease and impurity! You allowed innocent children to wallow in corruption and the filth of your incompetence!"

"What Dorothy and I do is no one's business but our own!" Kelly spat.

"Not that!" Guyrich said. "He means mutants! You have to be a little more concise with him Trask. His small mind has trouble grasping simple concepts." 

"Mutants?" Kelly's voice was shaking.

"A whole herd of them," Trask snapped. "Right under your nose! Didn't you ever wonder what kind of Institute takes students that claim to be gifted but obviously aren't! In the academic sense anyway!" 

"Are you saying that there are mutants at that Institute?" Kelly went pale.

"Catches on quick doesn't he?" Dorothy groaned. 

"Let me guess," Guyrich said to Dorothy. "He's a good kisser right?"

"Among other things," She shrugged. 

"Come on!" Guyrich ushered Kelly and Dorothy back inside the gym. "It's time to show you exactly what kind of students are at Bayville High." 

"Look don't hurt Dorothy," Kelly whispered.

"Don't worry," Guyrich spat. "We're not interested in you two. We just want to make sure you stick around for the show." He concealed the weapon. "Now we are going up to the podium to make a little announcement. 

All the students were watching Duncan and Jean being crowned king and queen as Trask and Guyrich ushered their hostages in. All of them except for Fred. He was munching on the food and was looking for some more potato chips when he happened to see them enter. He noticed Guyrich was standing close to Kelly and Dorothy and that they had worried looks on their faces. Then he got a glimpse of Trask. 

It is said that everyone in his or her life has at least one moment of genius. One epiphany that makes everything clear. Unfortunately Fred happened to have his at that very moment. It only lasted thirty seconds, but it was enough for him to put two and two together. However it ended just before Fred opened his mouth. 

"HEY GUYS!" Fred shouted. "GUYRICH MUST REALLY WORK FOR TRASK! HE'S NOT A VICE-PRINCIPAL! HE'S REALLY A SPY!" Fred shouted. "AND HE'S GOT PRINCIPAL KELLY AND HIS SECRETARY HOSTAGE!" 

Several students screamed. "Wonderful," Guyrich whipped out his pistol. "Our cover blown by the village idiot! Everyone freeze! Nobody move!" 

"Oh brother!" Falcon swore. "How did they get in here?" 

"I told you we should have had more people guarding the entrance!" Jinx snapped. 

"Put down your weapons!" Falcon drew out his own gun. "We don't want you hurting any innocent kids."

"Our intention isn't to hurt any kids," Trask spat. "Well any **human **kids." 

"We've come to warn you about the creatures posing as your friends!" Guyrich snarled, pointing his weapon in the direction of several Institute students. Instinctively Lance stood in front of Kitty in order to protect her. "Do you know who, or what these Institute students are?" 

"Hey don't hurt us man!" One Jock blubbered. 

"I'm here to save you!" Guyrich grabbed Kurt. "See for yourselves what these people really are!" He grabbed Kurt's watch and yanked it off, revealing his true form to his horror. Several people screamed. They screamed louder when Kurt teleported away from Guyrich. 

"That's nothing!" Trask shot off a bullet at Jean. Instinctively she used her powers to stop the bullet in mid flight. She let it drop harmlessly to the ground. 

"You're that freak from the TV months ago!" Duncan shouted backing away. "Get away from me!" 

Meanwhile Trask had been tackled and disarmed by several Joes. "You're so called Queen and her friends are freaks!" Trask spat as he was wrestled to the ground. "And so are all the Institute and Brotherhood kids! Look at them! They're not even human!" 

"Shut up!" Wanda snapped using her powers to tip the punch bowl onto Trask's head. 

"You shut up!" Guyrich started to fire his pistol, only to see it wasn't there anymore. 

"Looking for this?" Pietro quipped as he held the pistol. He gave it to Fred.

"Don't you know that guns are very dangerous?" Fred snapped as he crumpled up the weapon as if it was made of paper. "And bringing guns to school is bad. Very bad!" He loomed over Guyrich. 

"I say we teach him a lesson," Tabitha threw a time bomb down his pants, revealing his underwear. 

"Save me!" Guyrich screamed.

"Oh yeah now he wants our help," Sgt. Slaughter grumbled as he grabbed Guyrich. 

"Get them out of here!" Falcon snapped. The two men were dragged away by some of the Joes. 

Too late, the damage was done. Jean knew she couldn't erase all those minds. And by the thoughts she was receiving, most of them weren't too pleased at being deceived. They were staring at all the mutants in shock. Then they started to talk among themselves.

"This is not good," Paul muttered. 

"Look at Kurt," One person said. 

"Looks like some kind of rat," Someone else said.

"He does not!" Amanda stomped her foot. 

"No wonder all our dances end up in disaster!" One teacher said.

Kelly just stood there in shock. "You're the principal!" Another teacher said to him. "Do something!" 

"Like what?" Kelly yelped. 

"Listen," Scott said. "I know this is a shock to a lot of you, but we're not what you think we are. We're not here to hurt anybody. Really."

"Oh yeah?" One person pointed to the Brotherhood. "What about them?" 

"Yeah you guys are always causing trouble around here!" Another person snapped. 

"That's why everything goes wrong around here? Because of you isn't it!" Another person shouted.

"I knew there was something wrong with those weirdoes at the Institute," Another shouted out. "We don't want your kind around here! All you do is cause trouble!" 

"Why don't you freaks just go back where you came from?" Duncan snapped.

"Why don't you shut up?" Pietro snapped. 

"Make us," A cheerleader shouted.

"Look nobody wants any trouble," Jean said. Trying to calm her down.

"Don't touch me!" The cheerleader jerked her hand away from Jean. "Lousy mutant!"

"How much you wanna bet she used her powers to score all those goals?" Another cheerleader said. 

"Yeah they lied about everything else!" A Jock shouted. "Who knows what else they're hiding!"

"I'll bet they had something to do with the gym being on fire!" Another student shouted. "And those monsters at the Sadie Hawkins dance!" 

"Get outta here you freaks!" Another jock snarled. 

"You wanna start something?" Lance snarled, slightly shaking the building.

"Lance no!" Kitty pulled at his arm. "Don't start a fight. We should just go!"

"No way!" Lance spat. "We have just as much right to be here as anyone else! No close minded retards are gonna scare me away!" 

"Me neither," Fred flexed his muscles. 

"Okay that's enough!" Gung Ho shouted. "Nobody wants a fight to break out!" 

"Wanna bet?" John sneered.

"Bring it on freak!" A jock snarled. Already some people were looking for the exits while others were getting ready for a fight. The Brotherhood was getting ready for a fight. Half the X-Men looked like they were getting ready to fight the Brotherhood, the other half were confused as what they should do. And the Joes were trying to get them to stop the fight before it began. 

"It's really gonna get ugly in a few seconds," Alpine groaned. 

"This cannot get any worse," Falcon groaned.

Just then the doors burst open, revealing the Baroness and a whole troop of Cobra soldiers with weapons. "GET THE MUTANTS!" She screamed. "COBRAAAAAA!" 


	48. Disaster at the Dance

**Disaster At the Dance**

When Cobra started firing, all hell broke loose. Several people started screaming and running towards the exits. Jean put up a telekinetic shield to keep the shots from hurting the students trying to escape. Meanwhile many of the X-men started fighting back, particularly the ones with offensive powers. The Brotherhood got into the mix as well while the Joes were trying to both stop Cobra and save those students and teachers trapped behind. 

"What is going on here?" Kelly screamed as he and Dorothy ducked for cover behind a table with Alpine and Bazooka. "You people are obviously not teachers. And…is that Ms. Baron?" 

"That's the Baroness," Bazooka said. "She's a Cobra agent."

"Cobra?" Kelly blinked. "Isn't that a terrorist unit? Then who are all of you?"

"We're with GI Joe," Alpine explained. "Special military force. We've been assigned to watch the students and keep Cobra from getting their hands on them." 

"All of you?" Kelly gasped. He pointed at Bazooka. "EVEN HIM?" 

"Why are people always saying that?" Bazooka grumbled as he returned fire at the Cobras. 

"Okay," Kelly said trying not to shake despite all the gunfire going on around him. "Let me get this straight, there are two rival gangs of mutants in my school, half my teaching staff are terrorists and the other half are military undercover agents, my vice principal is a renegade spy run amok…. THIS IS NUTS!" Kelly screamed. He looked at Dorothy. "And I guess you have a secret identity too huh? What are you? CIA? FBI?" 

"Actually, I'm with SHIELD," Dorothy admitted, pulling a gun hidden under her skirt. That was when Kelly fainted. 

"I thought you looked familiar," Alpine said. "You were there at that Moroccan incident two years ago!"

"Yup," She kept firing. "SHIELD had me infiltrate the school to keep them informed on the goings on of the mutants. Being a secretary I had access to all the files." 

"Pretty clever," Alpine said. "Wish we had thought of that."

"Can we cool it with the mutual admiration society for now?" Falcon dove behind the table. "We are in trouble now! I just got word that Cobra's sending an air strike to blow up the Institute!" 

"No they won't!" Bazooka took out a remote control and pushed a button. 

As five Cobra Rattlers flew overhead, suddenly a hidden platform on the side of Bayville was revealed. Several missiles were launched and shot three of them down. The remaining Rattlers were driven out of the sky by a several Joe airplanes. 

While the battle in the air was being settled, the battle on the ground was getting fiercer. Lance dipped into his powers and sent wave after wave of concrete towards the Cobras. "You wanna see some real shaking?" Lance shouted. "Try this!" Suddenly the entire building started to shake violently. 

So violently that even the Cobras stopped fighting. "That can't be good," The Baroness gulped as she heard the sounds of creaking metal. "COBRA RETREAT!" 

The Cobras nearly ran over each other in order to escape. Still the building shook. In fact, it was starting to shake even more violently.

"Lance stop it!" Kitty screamed. "That's enough!" 

"Yeah cut it out with the tremors man!" Fred said. 

"I…I can't!" Lance screamed in agony. "I can't stop! Kitty help me! I can't stop it!" Suddenly the entire floor buckled around him, creating small rises and hills in the floor. Kitty was thrown backwards. "KITTY!" Lance screamed, sinking to his knees, unable to move or do anything else. 

Kitty harmlessly phased through the floor then came out. "LANCE!" She screamed.

"AAGGGGHGHGH!" Lance screamed in agony as another blast shook the school.

"It's gonna fall on top of us!" Pietro screamed. He ran over to Lance and grabbed him. "Let's get out of here!" The Brotherhood ran. 

It was all the X-Men and Joes could do to evacuate the building before the entire school collapsed. Jean was able to save several people using her telekinesis. Kitty and Scott helped get the remaining ones out of the rubble unharmed. But the damage was done. Bayville High was in ruins. 

"Oh no…" Kitty looked at the damage. "Not again!"

"I can't believe the Brotherhood did this!" Tabitha said.

"I can," Scott snarled. "And as usual we have to clean up their mess!" 

"Look we need your help to see if anyone else in trapped inside," Falcon came up to him. "We'll get them later. Right now helping these people is our top priority!" 

"You're right," Scott said. "Let's do it." 

************************************************************************

The Brotherhood finally made it to the boarding house. "What were you thinking?" Pietro snapped.

"I couldn't stop it!" Lance gasped. "My powers went out of control!"

"Obviously," Mystique appeared before them. "Well it seems that once again you morons have brought disaster and destruction to my doorstep! I should have your heads for this!"

"It's not their heads you should be worrying about Mystique," A familiar voice rumbled.

They looked up and saw Magneto floating down. Several metal orbs were behind him. 

"Magneto?" Pietro looked in shock at the metal orbs.

"Get in, all of you!" He ordered. "We're leaving now. Bayville is no longer a haven for us. We will go to my new base." 

"How did you know…?" Pietro asked. 

"I have my ways," He told him.

"Sir," Lance gulped. "The school…It was an accident…I didn't mean to…" 

"No matter," Magneto shrugged. "At the very least the X-Men have lost their safe haven. Congratulations Avalanche, you have redeemed yourself. What concerns me Mystique is that how not one, not two but **three** different organizations were spying on us without your knowledge!" 

"I…" Mystique gulped. "I don't know sir."

"You will have to come up with a better excuse than that," Magneto said. The sound of sirens could be heard in the distance. "I suggest you think about it on the trip towards our new home."

"Come on Lance," Pietro pulled on his arm as the others got into the orbs. 

"But…Kitty…" Lance looked around.

"Forget that X-Geek Lance!" Wanda snapped. "Let's get out of here before the cops grab us!" 

Sadly Lance did as he was told. As he rode in his metal sphere he spent the entire time fighting the tears in his eyes. "Kitty…" He whispered. "What have I done?" 

************************************************************************

Back at Bayville High there were several SHIELD agency vehicles as well as military ones, police cars and emergency ambulances. The school was in ruins. Completely destroyed. "Anyone hurt?" Falcon asked an emergency worker.

"Minor cuts and bruises," He told him. "But no fatalities. It's a miracle no one was killed." Then he glared at some of the Institute students. "No thanks to those freaks!" 

"Actually it was thanks to those freaks," Falcon glared. 

"That's not what I saw," One student snapped. "That freak Alvers destroyed the entire school!" 

Several people were murmuring amongst themselves. "Oh great," Falcon groaned. "Hawk is gonna kill me. I just know it." 

"If he doesn't I will," Nick Fury came up. "What the hell happened here? Do you know how hard this is gonna be to keep the Institute and the kids out of the papers? What happened?"

"It's a long story," Falcon sighed. 


	49. The Blame Game

**The Blame Game**

"My school…" Kelly looked at the devastation around him. "My school. It's gone. Kaput. Gone." 

"I am not cleaning that up," Bazooka shook his head. 

"You!" Kelly glared at Bazooka. He grabbed him by the shirt collar. "You destroyed my school! You destroyed my school!"

"I did not!" Bazooka tore himself away. "Blame Cobra! They're the ones that attacked the school in the first place! Well actually you can blame Guyrich and Trask too but…" 

"Wait a minute," Kelly shook his head. "Wait a minute! No, you didn't destroy the school and they didn't destroy the school…it was ALVERS WHO DESTROYED THE SCHOOL!" He looked at the rubble. "I knew the kid was a troublemaker but this…this is ridiculous!"

"Hey it wasn't all his fault!" Bazooka said. "He was only using his powers in self defense against the terrorists! Okay it got a little out of hand…" 

"Let's back this up here!" Kelly snapped. "If the mutants weren't in the building, none of this would have happened would it? None of the craziness, or the monsters or the terrorists, right? None of you people would have come here! In fact the school would still be standing now right?" 

"Well…" Bazooka gulped. "Technically…" 

"Okay," Kelly nodded his head rapidly. "Okay. Now we are getting somewhere. Now I see the problem!" 

"Um are you okay?" Bazooka asked. "Do you want to lie down?"

"Oh no," Kelly laughed. "I'm fine. Just fine. In fact, I am better than I have been in a long, long, long time! You know they say that every man has one defining moment in his life! One instance that forever shapes his destiny and this…this is it! This is my destiny! Oh yeah! I know what I have to do now! I can see the future as clear as day!" 

"O-kay," Bazooka gulped. "Uh maybe you should get a drink of water or something?" 

"I'll be fine!" Kelly said laughing maniacally. "In fact, I am going home and I am going to start packing! I am going to take everything I own, throw it in my car and drive back to Massachusetts! That's it! That's the first thing I'll do! I'll have to move back in with my parents for a while but it will be worth it! GOODBYE BAYVILLE! GOODBYE CRAZINESS! GOODBYE INSANITY! GOODBYE! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Kelly went off laughing.

"What a nut," Bazooka scratched his head. 

Meanwhile Alpine and Gung Ho were putting Guyrich and Trask away in a security vehicle. "Okay you losers," Alpine said. "Back to SHIELD with you. And they can have you!" 

"You Joes haven't won anything!" Trask sneered gleefully. "You've failed! Hear me! Failed! Now everyone will know about mutants!"

"Oh yeah," A guy walked up. "This is for you." He held out a piece of paper. 

"What's that?" Alpine asked. 

"It's a summons," The guy explained. "Congratulations Trask, you're being sued."

"WHAT?" Trask yelped.

"That overgrown transformer you built wrecked several buildings and businesses," The guy said. "Including some owned by Extensive Enterprises. This is a class action suit suing you for damages." 

"But…But…" Trask sputtered.

"I'll make sure he gets that," Alpine took the paper and stuffed it into Trask's mouth. "There, you've just been served!"

"Thanks," The guy walked away.

"Anytime," Alpine chuckled. "Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy." 

************************************************************************

"Can you believe what happened?" One student gasped. Several students had taken refuge at a nearby pizza place. Many of them were in shock. Others were angry. 

"I'm still in shock," Another told him.

"I knew there was something wrong with those kids at the Institute!" Duncan snapped. 

"Told you they were all weirdoes," Mindy agreed. 

"Honestly how could they let those creatures walk around loose like that?" Another cheerleader said.

"Hey those 'creatures' are kids just like us!" Taryn snapped.

"Apparently not exactly like us," A cheerleader said. 

"Trust you to defend them. You dated one of those freaks!" Duncan snapped.

"So did you! Remember?" Taryn snapped. "Until she dumped you!" 

"Gee I wonder why?" Duncan fumed. "Now I get it! She was using me all along to get Summers jealous! Nobody treats me like that and gets away with it!"

"Yeah it's time we put these freaks in their place!" Another jock shouted. 

"But…" Taryn started to protest, but Paul stopped her.

"Forget it," He sighed. "They ain't gonna listen!" He pointed to the Jocks and the Cheerleaders. "Look at them. They've got a new target to pick on. Come on, let's go." They left the pizza place, shaking their heads while the Jocks were plotting on ways of making the mutant's lives more miserable.

************************************************************************

Back at the Institute Falcon and Xavier were arguing. "How were we supposed to know that Trask and Guyrich would show up that soon?" Falcon yelled. "Maybe an extra detail of security would have stopped them but not Cobra!" 

"This whole thing was mishandled from start to finish!" Xavier said. "You allowed us to be revealed. I can't even use my powers to erase everyone's mind! There are just too many people spread out now!" 

"That wasn't our fault!" Falcon shouted. "We did everything we could considering the circumstances. What would you have liked us to do? Put a couple of tanks in front of the school building?" 

"Didn't stop you from hiding a few missiles now did it?" Xavier snapped.

"Which happened to save your school from being blown up again!" Falcon told him. "And besides it was a mutant that turned the school into a parking lot! A former student of yours I believe?" 

"Have you at least found the Brotherhood?" Xavier asked.

"Not a trace of them," Falcon sighed. "How much you want to bet Magneto's taken them away somewhere?" 

"If it wasn't for the reckless way you handled this…" 

"Look who's talking! You people are even more reckless than we are!" 

"Who do you people think you are?"

"I think we're the people who saved your students' lives!" Falcon spat. 

"I didn't ask you to come here," Xavier snapped.

"And we didn't ask you to set up a paramilitary operation in the suburbs!" Falcon retorted. "Did you really think that you could set up an outfit like this and no one would notice? This isn't exactly in the middle of nowhere you know! How naive can you possibly be?" 

There was an uncomfortable silence. "Look we'll try to keep the Institute out of the newspapers at least," Falcon said. "SHIELD and a few other friends of ours will help with that too." 

"How very generous of you," Xavier quipped. 

"Look Professor I feel bad about what happened," Falcon said. "But blaming each other isn't going to accomplish anything!" 

"Oh well as long as you feel bad that makes everything all right," Xavier snapped. "I knew this was a mistake!" 

"Oh yeah humans and mutants working together a mistake," Falcon groaned. "Well that gives me hope for the future!" 

"If ever there was an incident that proves that we cannot rely on the military to protect mutants this is it," Xavier said. 

"Oh really? Well if you'd listened to me in the first place none of this would have ever happened!" Falcon snapped. "If you kept the kids confined to the Institute for a few days Scott, Taryn and Jean would never have been kidnapped, your kids wouldn't have ended up in a battle. We would have gotten rid of Cobra as well as Guyrich without the school becoming rubble! Not to mention endangering hundreds of innocent lives! The way I see it, this proves that mutants need our protection more than ever!" 

"And what about that mutant on your base?" Xavier snapped. "Are you protecting him for his own good?" 

"That's none of your concern," Falcon told him. 

"I think you'd better leave," Xavier said. "You've done enough already." 

"Yeah," Falcon sighed. He left the building. Jinx was outside. "You say goodbye to your boyfriend?" 

"Yeah," Jinx sighed as they drove away. "At least he's the only one there who doesn't blame us for the fiasco. It wasn't your fault. There was no way you could have known that would happen." 

"Tell that to those kids," Falcon sighed. "And the worst part is, the worst is yet to come. I just hope they're strong enough to face whatever the future has in store for them." 


	50. The Return: Part 1

**The Return (Part One)**

Two weeks passed since the dance disaster. The newscast reports blamed the damage caused by terrorists who wanted to capture some mutants. The terrorists had blown up the school using a bomb, so the report went. Everyone else in Bayville knew differently. The real facts, although kept out of the media were quickly dispersed due to word of mouth. Although the Institute's secret was supposedly safe, the entire town now knew what was going on in their community. 

Needless to say there were several people that were not too happy about this. Soon Xavier had to take precautions while even getting the mail. There had been several death threats, one or two pipe bombs and a variety of dead animals sent to the front door. 

There were however some that responded positively to the news. A few parents called to say they were supportive and seeing as how people could possibly exploit or harm the children, were quite understanding about them keeping secret for so long. One church even called to offer any support it could. 

Unfortunately these people were in the minority. The majority of the town was very nervous. Knowing that the government was involved in a cover up of some sort made them even more nervous. Already there were several semi-secret meetings in homes all over Bayville, with people talking about organizing into a group to protect humans from mutants. 

It was becoming more and more harrowing for the students to venture outside the mansion. At first it was simply stares and people moving away. Then it became insults as well as some people who wanted to fight them outright. An incident in the park where several people throwing bottles and other items nearly escalated out of hand when Tabitha wanted to use an energy bomb. A quick and hasty retreat by Scott was the only thing that prevented bloodshed.

Xavier then decided that for now all students were confined to the Institute until further notice. A decision many were not happy with, especially now with the early school vacation. 

"Man this stinks!" Evan kicked the wall. "The park had some primo skating grounds. Boy school is going to be such fun when we go back."

"If we're allowed back," Rogue sighed.

"But they can't kick us out because we're mutants!" Kitty said. "Can they?" 

"Yeah isn't that unconstitutional or something?" Bobby asked.

"I don't know," Scott sighed. He honestly didn't. 

"Well if we do go back I'll certainly have a lot more free time," Jean groaned as she walked in. "Taryn just called. They made her the one to tell me that I am no longer on the track team, part of the yearbook and every other extra curricular activity I was in." 

"That's a bummer," Rogue said. "I mean, I know how much you loved that stuff Jean. I'm sorry." 

"Yeah well," Jean sighed. "To be honest in a way it's kind of a relief. I don't have to worry about being the 'perfect student' anymore. I can hang out with people who are my real friends. You know what's really funny about all this? After all the attempts by Zanya to get Taryn to hate me, we're better friends than ever." 

"Well at least some good came out of all this," Kitty sighed. "Her parents are cool with this?"

"Her parents were huge civil rights activists when they were kids," Jean smirked. "Now they have a new cause, civil rights for mutants."

"Yeah Paul's folks are okay with it too," Scott said. 

"That's nice," Kitty scoffed. "I mean considering his father was one of the people who exposed us in the first place."

"That wasn't the Joe's fault!" Rogue snapped. "They were just protecting us! If you want to blame somebody, blame your boyfriend for turning the school to rubble in front of everybody!" 

"I don't want to hear about Lance anymore!" Kitty shouted and stormed out of the room. 

"Good going Rogue," Bobby rolled his eyes. 

"Well you can't say we didn't warn her," Evan pointed out. "Those Brotherhood chumps left us with their mess!"

"Yeah and we got blamed for their actions," Scott groaned as he lay back on the couch. "Ever since then we've lost most of our friends, as well as our freedom! You can't even go out to grab a burger anymore without somebody wanting to hassle us!" 

"I don't even watch TV anymore," Bobby sighed. "All that's on nowadays are how mutants are a danger to everyone. Did you know there are people organizing in groups against us now? There's this one guy on TV saying how we should all be locked up and stuff. Calls his group the 'Friends of Humanity.' Or something." 

"HEY EVERYBODY!" Jamie ran into the room. "COME QUICK! PETER'S AWAKE!" 

At this news everybody got up and ran to the infirmary. Soon the entire mansion was aware of the news and went to visit Peter. "Hello," Peter responded, a bit dazed. "So many faces glad to see me. This I did not expect."

"Man I thought you would have been out forever," Remy grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze. "Good to have you back." 

"Back?" Peter asked. "How long was I unconscious?"

"A long time," Hank told him. "A few months actually."

"Boy did you miss all the action," Evan told him. He and the others told him what had happened while he was in a coma. 

"I don't believe it," Was all Peter could say. 

"Believe it," Scott sighed.

"Yeah it's a total drag," Tabitha pouted. "I can't even go to the mall anymore to let off steam! I feel like a total prisoner here!" 

"I think we should all let Peter rest now," Hank said. 

"Why not allow Peter some time to recover," Xavier said gently. They left the infirmary.

"Well at least we have some good news today," Bobby said. He then noticed Xavier making a motion with his head, as if he heard something the others didn't. "What's up Professor?" 

"It appears we have a visitor," Xavier told them. 

"Who's at the door?" Kurt ported there and opened it.

"Hey dude," Forge smiled as he stood there. "Got room for one more?" 

************************************************************************

It had been two weeks since the incident. Two weeks since Lance had made the biggest screw up of his life. Two weeks of intense training and self-blame. Every moment of everyday he thought about Kitty and what a mess he made. When he wasn't recovering from Magneto's training sessions that is. 

"Ugh," He groaned as he wobbled into the common room. "Man I am sore everywhere. Magneto's really pushing us to the limit." 

"Except for Wanda," John snickered. "Daddy's little girl." 

"I think it's more because he knows if she's pushed too far she'll snap," Lance said. "And I don't blame him. Remember when she took out an entire wall when we first got here?" 

"Yeah it took him, Sabertooth, Mystique and two other guys to sedate her," Pietro groaned. "Since then he's got that Agatha lady back to train her alone." 

"I wonder why Magneto won't let us work or even talk to those new people he brought in?" Fred wondered aloud. 

"Who knows," Lance groaned. "But by the look of them something tells me we aren't missing much. Not exactly the most sociable types I've met." 

"Listen up," Mystique came in, still wearing a bandage around her wrist after her 'talk' with Magneto weeks ago. "We have a mission. How would you like to get back at the Joes for what they did to us?" 

They all sat up with interest. "Something tells me this is gonna be good," John said.

"We've just learned that the Joes have at least one mutant of their own on one of their bases," She smiled. "Time to do some recruiting boys." 

************************************************************************

"So you're going to stay here for a while?" Kurt asked while Forge was working.

"Yeah my folks thought it would be a good idea if I hang around here a while until things cooled down," Forge said as he worked on Cerebro with Xavier. "Besides, I didn't feel like being cooped up in the house all day. And at least here I can work on some stuff without worrying about blowing up the occasional hole in the wall." 

"Any luck trying to detect that mutant on the Joe base?" Scott asked as he walked in. Kitty and Jamie followed him." 

"No," Xavier sighed. "The scanners they have are still blocking Cerebro."

"Not for much longer," Forge was working on something. "Thanks to this amp I rigged up Cerebro will have twice as much power. That ought to work. I think." 

"Well there's only one way to find out," Xavier started up the machine. 

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Kurt asked. "I mean we are talking about sneaking into a military base." 

"We gotta do something!" Kitty said. "Besides I'm going crazy being cooped up around here all day!"

"Welcome to my world," Jamie said. "Now you guys know how I felt when all of you went to school all day and I had to stay here!" 

Logan came in. "Any luck, Chuck?" 

"I think we may have something," Xavier said. Cerebro created a map online. 

"Well the mutant is here," Xavier looked at the map. "The coordinates say he's now in Florida. At Fort Flagston." 

"That's a Joe base all right," Logan nodded. "Must have moved him there so they could hide him or something."

"Can't Cerebro find out who he is or what is powers are?" Scott asked.

"Not yet," Forge told him. "Still needs a bit of a boost." 

"So what do we do?" Kitty asked. "Do we just like go and get him?"

"It could be tricky," Logan said. 

"I agree" Xavier nodded. "Get all the students assembled in the main room." 

Twenty minutes later, everyone was suited up and ready. "You all know what the mission is," Xavier told them. "I've chosen this team. We need to start combining both the Newer Students as well as the main team. Cyclops you will lead. Your team will be Shadowcat, Gambit, Rogue, Spyke, Iceman, Wolfsbane, Jubilee and Nightcrawler." 

"All right!" Bobby cheered. "Finally some action!" 

"Jean I need you to help me with Cerebro," Xavier said. "The rest of you will be held in reserve, just in case. And Logan I know you are familiar with the Joes but I'd like you to sit this one out as well."

"Don't trust me Chuck?" Logan raised an eyebrow.

"Well you are the one that went behind our backs," Scott snapped.

"That's not why I want him to stay behind!" Xavier said. "Logan was only doing what he thought was right at the time. As out of hand things got, the Joes did save our lives."

"Then why am I being left behind?" Logan asked.

"Well I need your help in training the other students on the Joe's tactics," Xavier said. "Plus from here you can relay plans to the students in the field. And if there is a problem, you're our ace in the hole." 

************************************************************************

With the Blackbird's speed they were there in only a few hours. They parked the jet at a safe distance and hid it in the woods nearby. They went around the back and used Kurt and Kitty to get them past the electric fence without setting off any alarms. 

"Okay spread out and be careful," Scott said to his team. "The mutant could be any place so be on the alert. Try not to get into fights with the soldiers here."

They split into two groups. Kitty, Rogue, Remy, Bobby and Jubilee went in one and the rest went with Scott. 

"This is so cool," Bobby smiled. "On a top secret army base to rescue a mutant!" 

"If the mutant wants to be rescued," Rogue said. "I dunno, I mean the Joes don't seem to be the type to keep a mutant against his will or something." 

"Are you kidding?" Jubilee asked. "They're the army for crying out loud! Of course they'd do something like that!" 

"You don't know that!" Kitty snapped. "Don't judge people you don't know because of their association with some group."

"Says the girl who used to date a member of the Brotherhood," Bobby snapped.

"Yeah well I used to be a member of the Brotherhood," Rogue got in his face. "Got a problem with that?" 

"Excuse me," Remy said as a loud explosion was heard in the distance. "But I think we got trouble!" 

"Is it the others?" Bobby asked as Remy used a pair of binoculars to scout out the situation.

"Not exactly," Remy gulped. "It's the Scarlet Witch! Looks like we ain't the only ones interested in the mutant!" 

"That means the Brotherhood is around here somewhere," Rogue groaned. 

"Oh boy, something tells me that we don't have to worry about the Joes at least," Remy said. "They got their hands full with the Scarlet witch." 

Suddenly something dove out of the shadows and knocked out Remy from behind. It was a man completely covered in black from head to toe. "Maybe not," Bobby grumbled. 

"Okay pal who are you?" Bobby said. "Are you a mutant or what?" 

The man said nothing. "I think that's one of the Joes," Rogue said. "Calls himself Snake Eyes." 

"Humph!" Bobby snapped. "I'm not scared of him!" 

"Yeah he just got lucky with Remy!" Jubilee said. "We still out number him four to one! Tell us where the mutant is right now or sparks are gonna fly!" She started making sparks with her hands.

"Wait a minute!" Kitty said. Too late Jubilee shot out her sparks at the ninja. Snake Eyes easily dodged it.

"You're iced pal!" Bobby shot out ice beams at him. Snake Eyes dodged around and jumped upon some boxes. Just as Bobby iced them Snake Eyes jumped. With a flying kick he knocked the boxes over on top of Bobby. "Ow…"

"I'll get you out!" Jubilee ran to help him but slipped on a patch of ice and fell. "Whoa!" 

"Oh brother," Rogue grumbled. 

"When I get my hands on you…" Jubilee started to try and get up. 

Snake Eyes watched her, amused. Suddenly he dodged a spike shot out at him.

"Need a hand?" Evan called as he and Rahnee ran up. "This must be the jerk that threw that gas at us!" 

"The others got knocked out by some kind of gas!" Rahnee snapped. "Sneak hid in the shadows and threw it at us!" 

"He got Gambit and Iceman too!" Kitty told them.

"That's it!" Evan threw some more spikes. "One ninja shish kabob coming up!"

Which was easier said than done. Snake Eyes easily dodged the spikes. In fact he caught one of them with his own hand. "Okay how did he do that?" Evan snapped. 

"Spike look out!" Kitty called. Too late. Snake Eyes took out some throwing stars and pinned Spike to a wall. "Oh man not again!" 

"That's it!" Rahnee changed into her wolf form while Rogue and Kitty helped Jubilee up. She charged at Snake Eyes. Suddenly a gray wolf leapt out and blocked Rahnee's path. At first they both growled but then Rahnee backed away whimpering. She returned to her human form. "What happened?" Kitty asked her. "What did that wolf say something? Is that the mutant?" 

"Trust me," Rahnee gulped. "That's a real wolf! And there's no way that I can beat it! I wouldn't last two minutes in a fight with a fighter like that!" 

"This is not looking good," Jubilee said as the four girls found themselves backed into a corner.

************************************************************************

"Come on," Forge kept fiddling with the controls. "Just a little more…There! Got it! That should break through the scanners!" 

"Identity confirmed," Cerebro intoned. "Registering mutant from Archive file." 

"Archive file?" Jean asked. "But who…?" They looked at the screen. "I don't believe this!" 

"Well," Logan folded his arms. "This explains a few things." 

"Jean, Logan prepare the chopper," Xavier said. "I think we should pay a visit to Fort Flagston ourselves." 

************************************************************************

"That's it!" Jubilee sent off sparks at Snake Eyes. "Let the fireworks fly." 

Snake Eyes jumped over them and did a flip, ending up behind her. He used Evan's spike to rap her on the head and knock her out. 

"Hey!" Evan struggled to free himself from the wall. "No fair!" He managed to get his arm free and was about to shoot off some spikes at him when the wolf lunged at him. It didn't bite him, but by the way it growled as it pinned Evan, it didn't need to."

"Nice doggy," Evan gulped. 

"So what do we do now?" Rogue asked. 

"Maybe you can like drain his power?" Kitty suggested. 

"How?" Rogue snapped. "That guy's more covered up than I am!" 

"Leave that to me!" Rahnee shapeshifted again into wolf form and lunged at Snake Eyes. Snake Eyes dodged several times but finally Rahnee was able to tear off a part of his sleeve. Snake Eyes quickly knocked her out. 

"Okay buddy," Rogue snapped. "It's time for light's out!" Holding onto Kitty they charged at Snake Eyes. Using Kitty's abilities to phase Snake Eyes could not touch them. Kitty managed to time it just right so that Rogue could grab the exposed arm. Snake eyes went down. 

"What a rush," Rogue moaned. "Well at least I know now why the guy didn't say anything. He can't. He lost his voice in an accident." 

"Oh great," Kitty said. "Did you find anything about the mutant?" 

"Wait a second," Rogue shook her head. "Yeah…I got it…it's…" 

"Behind you!" Spike shouted. 

Rouge and Kitty were knocked out. The last thing Rogue could hear was Mystique's laugher. 

************************************************************************

The first thing that came to Scott's mind was that he couldn't move. He sat up or rather tried to. He was tied up. He looked around. He had been placed next to Evan who was pinned to the wall. "Ninja got you too?" Scott asked.

"Yeah," Evan told him. "But Rogue and K-Girl got him. But then guess who showed up to ruin the party." 

Mystique stood there gloating. "Well well," She smiled. "Looks like we got more on this trip than we bargained for." 

"Mystique," Scott snarled. "I should have known you'd show your slimy face around here!" 

"While the Scarlet Witch is keeping the Joes busy," Mystique smiled. "That just leaves you X-Men. What's left of you." She looked at Snake Eye's unconscious form. "I have to admit, this one is impressive, for a mere human." 

"He had help," Pietro looked around. "There's another guy hiding around here somewhere." He and Fred were dragging in the other X-Men. Pietro found some rope and tied them up. "I think he's the one who threw those gas bombs." Soon all the X-Men were tied up. Only Rogue had regained consciousness. The wolf was trapped in a cage of fire. 

"Got this puppy out of the way," John snickered. 

"Now that leaves all the loose ends tied up," Mystique smirked. "All that remains is…" Suddenly something ran by in the shadows quickly. "I see." 

"You think that's him?" Pietro asked.

"We'll find out. Let me handle this. I know you're out here," Mystique spoke as she went into the shadows. "We merely wish to talk to you. We want to help you. To save you from these….YOU?" 

Before anyone could blink Mystique was thrown back into the light. A figure leapt from the shadows clothed in black. Everyone looked in shock as the figure stood up straight and glared at them.

"Hiya buds," Todd snarled. "I'm ba-ack." 


	51. The Return: Part 2

**The Return (Part Two)**

Toad stood there. He was dressed in a dark green shirt with black pants. He was wearing a long black trenchcoat and had on a bandana with gold markings on his forehead. He had a Bo staff strapped to his back. He did not look pleased to see his former teammates. 

"That's impossible!" Mystique sputtered. "You…You…AAGGGGH!" She screamed as Todd doused her with a generous amount of slime. 

Todd stormed up to Pietro. "Whatsa matter?" Todd snarled. "Ain't you ever seen a dead guy before?" Pietro just stood there in shock with his mouth wide open. He didn't even move. 

Which is how Todd was able to knock him out with one good sock to the jaw with his fist. 

"It's Toad!" Fred said happily. "Hey Toad's alive!"

"Yeah now kill him!" Mystique shouted as she tried to clear the slime off of her. 

"Back off Toad," Lance started to shake the ground. "I don't wanna hurt you." 

"Funny," Todd leapt into the air. "Can't say the same for you!" He did a flip and kicked Lance in the chest, enough to wreck his concentration. That didn't knock Lance out, but a punch to the jaw did. 

"Okay it's time to put a Toad on the Barbie!" John snarled sending a wave of flame at him. "AAAAHHHH!" John screamed as Todd covered him with slime. The fire died out. "What? I can't make any fire come out! He stopped up my flame-thrower!" 

"Anybody tell ya you can't light a fire with a wet match?" Todd quipped as he advanced on him. A few swift punches took care of him. 

"Don't just stand there with your big mouth open!" Mystique snarled at Fred. "Do something!" 

"Okay," Fred said reluctantly. He screamed and he charged Todd who dodged him easily. 

"Speed never was your strong suit eh Blob?" Todd shouted as he easily dodged Fred's attacks. "Here's a little trick I cooked up!" He spat some kind of purple goop on Fred's face.

"YEOWWWW!" Fred screamed, blinded. "THAT BURNS! MY EYES! WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY EYES!" He tried to tackle Todd but fell flat on his face. 

"Did you know some toads can spit out some kinds of acid?" Todd sneered. "Well now this one can!" 

"I'm gonna get you!" Fred screamed trying to grab Todd. "Stop hopping around and stand still!" 

While this was going on, the other X-Men were waking up. "What's going on?" Kitty asked dazed. "Wait…is that…Toad?"

"Yeah," Rogue watched the battle, unable to keep her eyes off it. "And he's kicking major butt!" 

"Ole!" Todd crowed as Fred crashed into a wall. 

"You pathetic little…" Mystique attacked him, but Todd deflected her attacks easily. She started to fight but soon her attacks turned into defense moves. To her horror, Todd was striking back, fighting like a wild animal. "You can't beat me!" She screamed, trying to convince herself more than Todd. 

"Wanna bet?" He pulled a leg sweep and knocked her down. 

As Mystique got up Todd spit more of the purple slime. This time it hit her left hand. She screamed in agony. "That hurts!" She snarled. 

"GOOD!" Todd snapped as he attacked her with his fists, actually able to hit her once or twice. 

"Man he's really pounding her," Scott gasped.

"Can you blame him?" Kitty asked as she helped free the others using her phasing abilities. "Uh …should we help?"

"I think Toad's got this under control," Jubilee said. 

Mystique realized that she was tiring rather quickly. In fact, she could hardly move her left arm. "What did you do to me?" She snarled. 

"Oh just another little side effect," Todd railed on her as she tried to escape. "That spit also has a paralyzing effect. Pretty handy for a useless incompetent huh?" 

He kicked her hard, sending her flying. "We got to stop him!" Kurt gasped. "He'll kill her!" 

"Go ahead," Bobby said. "Be my guest!" 

Kurt ported in front of Todd. "Enough!" Kurt shouted, blocking his way in front of Mystique. "Don't do this!" 

"Out of my way fuzzball!" Todd snarled. "You ain't exactly on my list of favorite people right now, so don't think I won't trash you too!" 

"You can't kill her!" Kurt grabbed him. "I won't let you!" 

"That's not a problem for me," Todd snarled as he tossed Kurt aside. "You have no idea the hell that witch has put me through! And I ain't the only one! This ends right here, right now!" 

"I don't think so!" Mystique pulled out a gun. "This will take care of you once and for all!"

Suddenly her gun was sliced in half by a scimitar. She looked in shock as a huge bald man with a little brown moustache grinned over her. 

Three other huge men came up. "Now what did you go and do that for Taurus?" One of them joked. "You broke the lady's weapon!" 

"That's no lady," Taurus snickered. "That's Mystique!" 

"You got that right," A huge bald black man with a moustache and goatee stood over her. "Lady you lost this fight!" 

"That ain't all she's gonna lose," Todd snarled. 

Suddenly everything flew around them, crates, boxes, dirt, and bits of metal. "Forget about me?" Wanda appeared out of nowhere. "Mystique move it!" 

She and the Brotherhood fled while Wanda covered them. Soon they were gone. "She's getting away!" Todd started to go off after her.

"Forget it," The black man held his shoulder. "She got away. We'll get her another day. Let 'em go running back to their masters. Right now we gotta deal with a few more trespassers!" He glared at the X-Men. 

"Wait," Kitty looked at Todd. "You've been alive all this time?" 

"You're the mutant we were sent to find?" Evan groaned. "Talk about a wasted trip!" 

"You're welcome!" Todd snapped. "See what I mean Roadblock?" 

"Now that Toad has saved your rear," Roadblock looked at them. "Care to tell us what you are doing here?" 

"Uh…" Kurt gulped as the huge men glared at them. "Would you believe we were in the neighborhood?" 

"So what do we do with them?" Taurus asked. 

"Uh," Scott gulped. "We could just go right about now…" 

"Red Dog, Mercer," Roadblock motioned. The other two Joes blocked their way. "I think it's safe to say, with us now you are going to stay. At least until we have a nice long chat with your professor."

"Good!" Todd smiled. "I'll get the stockade ready!"

"Toad!" Roadblock groaned.

"What?" He looked at him. "They were breaking and entering! Even I know you're not supposed to do that!" 

"I was thinking more along the lines of them sleeping in the barracks," Roadblock told him.

"Rats," Todd grumbled. 

"Oh man," Bobby groaned. Mercer grabbed him by the shirt. 

"Listen you little twerp," Mercer hissed. "You are getting off way too easy! Do you know what usually happens to people who break into our home unannounced?" His eyes seemed to glitter. "It's not very pretty." 

"At ease Mercer," Roadblock told him. "Now let's all now take a little walk. With Xavier we are gonna have a talk." 

"Shouldn't we try to make a break for it?" Kurt whispered to Scott. 

"Oh please do," Todd grinned. "Make my day." 

"I think we'd better wait for the Professor to get here," Scott said. He saw several other Joes appear. 

"You kids?" Falcon shook his head when he saw them. "Why am I not surprised?" 

"Let's just get some sleep and call it a day," Roadblock said. "All of you kids okay?" 

"We're fine," Kitty told him. 

"We'll get you kids cleaned up and fed," Roadblock sighed. "Then it's off to bed. And you too Toad. You and I might as well sleep with them tonight. I wanna keep these kids within my sight." 

"Oh goody," Kurt grumbled. "A sleepover with the Toad."

"This ain't exactly my idea of a fun evening either you know!" Todd snarled as they went into the barracks.

"I just got a call," Dial Tone told Roadblock. "The Professors on his way. He should be here in a few hours." 

"Oh goody," Roadblock sighed. "This is gonna be fun all right. Better hold on to your horses it's gonna be a long night!" 


	52. We Got Beat by Toad?

**We Got Beat By Toad?**

"I don't believe it!" John wiped the slime from his uniform. "We got our butts kicked! By Toad!" 

"Tell me about it," Lance grumbled, rubbing his jaw. "You okay Freddy?"

"Oh yeah," Fred moaned as Wanda finished giving him medicine. "Good thing I closed my eyes in time. No damage." 

"How did that little lunatic get so good at fighting?" Lance groaned. "I mean did you see how mad he was?" 

"Well being thrown out of a jet and left for dead will make a person get a little resentful," Wanda said. 

"That little ingrate," Mystique snapped. "After all I've done for him!"

"That's why he tried to kill you," Wanda told her. "Remember?" 

"Shut up," Mystique grumbled. 

"Okay where did he learn to fight like that is what I wanna know?" John groaned. 

"From the Joes, duh!" Pietro snapped. 

"What did they do to him?" Fred asked. "I mean why was he with them?" 

"Isn't it obvious?" Lance snapped. "They must have brainwashed him."

"I didn't think he even had a brain to wash," Mystique snapped. 

"Wait a minute," Fred scratched his head. "Something's not right here…I mean we all saw you kill Toad. But then how come he's still alive?"

"Because you moron I didn't kill Toad," Mystique shouted. "Magneto's the one who threw him out of the jet remember?" The looks on their faces told her she made a mistake. "Oh…I forgot. You don't remember…" 

"What?" Lance snapped. "Did Magneto have something to do with our memories being changed?" 

"Quiet!" Mystique snapped. "Okay here's what we are going to tell him! It was a false alarm! There weren't any mutants there! It was a trick conjured up by GI Joe and the X-men! Got it?" 

Magneto was there to meet them. "So what happened?" He asked. 

"It was a trap sir," Mystique said. "No mutants."

"Oh really?" Magneto looked at them. "Is that what happened?" He looked at John's uniform. "What is that on your uniform?" 

"Uh…this?" John gulped. "Uh… part of the trap?" 

"Why does this look familiar?" Magneto stared at him. "I've seen this before." 

"Oh that's just Toad's slime," Fred said. Magneto glared at him. "Not that it's actually Toad's slime because that's impossible because he's dead right? I mean you can't get slime from a dead Toad right? I mean it looks a lot like Toad's slime, but I never said it was Toad's slime and…uh I think I'll shut up now…" 

"All right," Magneto glowered. "Quicksilver I want you to tell me exactly what **really** happened!" 

Pietro gulped. He knew Magneto was not gonna be happy to hear the news. "Um…Sir, it's really kind of funny. The whole thing. You know we got there and there were the X-Geeks looking for the mutant too…."

"Go on," Magneto told him.

"And…Did I mention that Wanda really trashed that base? Oh man that place is gonna need to be demolished before it looks good again!" Pietro thought fast.

"Oh yeah Wanda was great!" John said quickly. 

"Yeah she really trashed them single handed!" Lance spoke up. 

"Yes that is impressive so what happened?" Magneto said. 

"Well…um…" Pietro gulped.

"We beat the X-Geeks!" Fred spoke aloud.

"Oh yeah they were pushovers!" Lance said. "Must have missed a few training sessions or something! Right Mystique? I mean we all had them tied up easy!"

"I don't want to hear from her!" Magneto said. "I want to hear from all of you! Especially Quicksilver! So what happened?" 

"Um…well we did find the mutant," Pietro gulped. "You'll never believe this. I mean the odds were one in a million! I mean come on! There was no way we could have known!"

"GET ON WITH IT!" Magneto shouted.

"It…it was Toad," Pietro stammered.

"What?" Magneto narrowed his eyes.

"It was Toad sir," Pietro said. "Toad was with the Joes, which was a real surprise to us but we figured you didn't want him after all so we left." 

"Let me get this straight," Magneto said. "Toad is alive and with the Joes and you just left him there."

"Uh yeah," Fred scratched his head. "Only after he beat up Mystique." 

"I'm sorry I couldn't have heard that right," Magneto looked at Mystique. "Did he just say Toad…our Toad…that useless weakling Toad…beat you up?" 

"Well it wasn't her fault!" John said. "We tried to get him but he was too fast!" 

"Yeah he had some kind of poison spit or something too!" Fred said. "I mean…uh…" 

"Are you all telling me that all of you…My Brotherhood of Mutants…the ones I have chosen to be the elite heralds of mutantkind, were **beaten **by that pathetic loser?" Magneto shouted.

"Uh…" Fred gulped under Magneto's gaze. "Yes?" 

Magneto's scream could be heard for miles. A few minutes later, so did Mystique's. 


	53. Musings of an Amphibian

**Musings of an Amphibian **

While the X-Men were getting settled in for the night, one teenager was definitely not ready for sleep. Todd crouched outside on top of one of the flat roofs of the buildings, pondering the latest direction his life had turned. He closed his eyes as he felt the breeze blow through his long hair, trying to control the surging emotions inside of him. 

__

Why did they have to come here? He thought. _Just when my life was starting to get good they show up! I was about to forget my past and straighten my life out and then they come back here to remind me of my past! I still hate them! Stupid X-Geeks! They think they're better than anyone else! Make me feel like I'm that stupid worthless…_

No! No! I won't think that way anymore! I'm not the same Toad I used to be! I'm just as good as they are now! Maybe even better! I will not let myself feel that way ever again!

He still felt disgusted, partially at himself. _Then why do I still feel so…dirty? Unclean compared to them? Stop that Toad! Just because you don't live in a fancy mansion? Who cares? You have Roadblock now and the Joes. That's better than any X-Geek dump! Besides, people like that could never understand you anyway. Not like the Joes. At least they know where I'm coming from. They know all this fighting stuff isn't just about playing hero. It's about survival and doing what has to be done! _

"Toad?" 

Todd looked around and saw Rogue standing behind him. "Hey," Todd said to Rogue. He forced a smile back. It wasn't that hard. Out of all of them she was probably the only one who could understand him. 

Rogue walked up to him. "Thank you," she said. "For helping us out."

"Yeah well, it's no big deal you know," Todd shrugged. 

They stood there in silence for a moment. "Toad what happened to you?" Rogue asked. "We all thought you were dead! How did you get here?"

"Yeah well I nearly was," Todd shrugged, trying to rid himself of the painful memories. _If only you knew…_

"So what happened?" Rogue asked again.

"Basically when Mag-nut-o threw me outta that jet the Joes found me," Todd said. "Saved my life and took me in. I've been training with them ever since." 

"But why didn't you try to contact us?" She asked.

_Because none of you X-Geeks wanted me that's why!_ Todd's brain screamed. Instead he chose his words carefully. "I…needed to get away. Be by myself for a while. Get my head together you know? Besides, Mystique threatened my life if I ever tried to come back."

Rogue looked stunned. "Hey it's no sweat," Todd smiled. "It's not so bad with the Joes. They're real nice to me. Roadblock's the best. He's cool. Kinda like my new dad so it all worked out all right." 

More silence. "By the way," Todd sighed. "I…kinda forgive you for leaving the Brotherhood when you did. You were always the smart one. I had to learn the hard way." _Strange, I feel better just saying that._

She looked at him with a mixed look of shock and sadness. _Here it comes, _Todd thought. He knew what she was going to say next. 

"Toad, you can still come back with us. Be a part of the team." 

Todd shook his head. "Rogue, thanks but no thanks. I realized a long time ago that I'm not an X-Man. It's just not for me that's all."

"But being a soldier is? You want to be a Joe?" She sounded shocked.

"I don't know what I'm going to be!" Todd told her. "But I know what I'm not and that's not an X-Man or a Brotherhood."

"But the professor can help you!"

"I've got help! Roadblock, all the Joes…I've got a lot of friends who really care about me. That's something I haven't had in a long time."

"But they can't help you like the professor can."

"Why not?" 

"Well because…." 

"Because they're human?" Todd's voice dripped with sarcasm. "Now isn't that funny. An X-Man telling a former Brotherhood member that he can't trust humans?" 

"That's not what I said!" Rogue started to lose her temper. 

"Close enough!" Todd snapped. "Maybe you're more like your mother than you realize."

"My mother?" Rogue blinked.

"Mystique," Todd told her. "She didn't tell you that you and Blue Boy are brother and sister did she? Well half siblings anyway." 

Rogue's eyes narrowed. "NO! You're lying you creepy little frog!" 

"Why would I lie?" Todd shouted back. "I heard about it when the Joes were spying on you guys. They did a background check on all of you. It's true! And something tells me deep inside you know it too." 

Rogue reached out to slap him but Todd caught her wrist. "Where did you learn that?" Todd asked in a cold voice. "You didn't get it from the Professor. That look in your eyes, it was the same exact look as Mystique's whenever she beat me." 

Rogue gave off a mild cry and ran off. Todd shook his head and sighed. "Way to go Toad," He groaned, instantly regretting his outburst. _You just had to provoke her didn't you? The one X-Geek that you kind of like! Of course she wasn't exactly perfect with you either…Oh boy. Roadblock's really gonna be mad now._


	54. Slumber Party

**Slumber Party**

"I can't believe we're stuck here for the night," Evan grumbled as the boys settled into the barracks. The girls were sequestered with the female Joes. 

"Yeah all this trouble because of Toad," Bobby grumbled. 

"You know it's not like I asked you guys to come here!" Todd spat. 

"What are you doing here anyway?" Evan asked him.

"I'm here on a ballet scholarship," Todd quipped. "What do you think I'm doing here?" 

"So…you're not a prisoner?" Scott asked.

"Duh!" Todd rolled his eyes. "I'm not the one under house arrest here! You are!" 

"We just can't figure out what you are doing here, that's all," Kurt said. 

"What is so hard to figure out?" Todd snapped. "The Joes saved my life and took me in! End of story!"

"Well now we know how the Joes knew so much about us," Scott groaned.

"Yeah the Toad blabbed everything," Kurt hit his pillow in order to get more comfortable. "The three most reliable ways of relaying information: telephone, television, tell Toad!" 

"Well then here's the latest newsflash," Todd snapped and blew a raspberry.

"All right that's enough!" Roadblock settled in. Falcon was also in to watch them. "Now everybody get some sleep! I don't wanna hear no peep!" 

"Peep," Bobby snickered. 

"He made a noise!" Todd shouted. "Punish him! Punish him!" 

"Snitch!" Bobby threw his pillow at Todd. It hit Remy.

"What was that for?" Remy snapped.

"My aim was off!" Bobby snapped. 

"We're not getting any sleep tonight are we?" Falcon groaned.

"No we are not," Roadblock sighed. 

************************************************************************

Meanwhile the females were having fun of their own. Scarlet, Jinx and Cover Girl were assigned to watch the X-Girls. "Well this is going to be fun," Scarlet sighed. "But I have to admit, the kids have guts."

"They invaded a military base!" Cover Girl told her.

"Well they thought a mutant was being held here against his will," Jinx said. "You can't really blame them for wanting to help." 

"It's that professor I'm not that crazy about," Scarlet sighed. "Some of these girls are far too young to see combat." 

"Miss Scarlet," Kitty asked. "I think this is too big for me," She indicated her pajamas which were very large. 

"Well I guess we'll have to fix that," Scarlet sighed. "They went into the next room. "All right which one of you set that bed on fire?" 

Rogue came in, she looked like she was either going to cry or destroy something. "I wanna ask you something," She said to Jinx. "Is it true? Mystique being my mom?" 

"I'm going to go help Scarlet," Cover Girl left quickly. 

Jinx sighed. "Yes it's true. Where did you hear that?"

"Toad," Rogue sniffed. 

"Come here," Jinx gave her a careful hug. "It's okay kid. What happened?"

"We got into a fight and I was gonna hit him and Toad then blurted it out that I was acting like my mother," She sighed. 

"Oh dear," Jinx sighed. "When it comes to Mystique Toad has a sore spot for her. For obvious reasons. Don't be too angry with him. He nearly died at her hands more than once. Okay he shouldn't have been the one to tell you but…It's better that you know now." 

"I'm not gonna cry," Rogue sniffed. "I'm too angry to cry. I'm madder at her than at Toad. How could she use me like that?"

"I have no idea. She is one twisted lady that's for sure. Maybe you'd better talk about this with the Professor tomorrow," Jinx said.

"Yeah," Rogue sighed. "I don't know if I can sleep."

"Do you want to talk with your friends a bit?" Jinx asked. "Or sit up with me?"

"No I just want to get to bed and try to sleep," Rogue sighed. "I'll deal with this in the morning. You know something, Toad was right about one thing, in a way…I always suspected that she treated me different because she kind of cared about me. Maybe I did know somehow." 

"For what it's worth kid, you're nothing like your mother," Jinx told her. "Trust me on this." She gave Rogue a smile. 

"You know I didn't know if I liked the idea of you dating Logan," Rogue said. "But you're nice. I like you."

"I like you too kid," Jinx smiled. "Now let's get some sleep." They went into the next room. "SCARLET WHAT ARE YOU AND KITTY DOING WITH THOSE WATER BALLOONS?" 

"Uh…Explaining the theory of gravity?" Scarlet gulped. 

************************************************************************

Morning came quickly. Instinctively Todd got up early. Already Roadblock was out of bed. He poked his head out the window and saw why. There was Roadblock talking with Xavier and Logan. "Three guesses what **that's **about," Todd muttered to himself. Angrily he took off. 


	55. Reassurance

**Reassurance**

Roadblock found Todd outside; practicing his fighting moves and kicks. He was wearing a gray training outfit. He was beating the stuffing out of a punching bag. With one enraged kick, Todd tore a hole into the bag. 

"Still upset huh?" Roadblock asked.

"Is it that obvious?" Todd sighed.

Roadblock tapped his nose. "Not just that, but you never pass up a chance to sleep in! Heck, you once slept though a fire alarm!" 

"Yeah well, that's nothing compared to Blue Boy's snoring," Todd quipped. Then his face grew serious. He sat down on the ground. Roadblock followed him, waiting for him to speak. "It's just, having **them **here and seeing…fighting the Brotherhood, Mystique… brought back a lot of things you know? A lotta stuff I tried to forget. I thought I'd fight 'em, beat 'em, boom! It would be over. But…I still miss them. Well not Mystique but the guys. It doesn't make sense!" 

"It's never easy fighting people you were friends with once," Roadblock said. 

"That's the word. Once!" Todd spat. "I'm not that stupid! They're not my friends! They abandoned me when I needed them the most! But for some reason it's still easier for me to hate the X-Jerks than the Brotherhood. Of course, they weren't exactly nice to me either."

"I know kid. I know." 

"They never really wanted me!" Todd snapped. "All that junk about how mutants should work together and stuff, please! Yeah and then they attack anyone who's not willing to follow their little program! A least the Brotherhood was more honest about what they wanted from me. Brutal, but honest. And now they both know I'm alive and can fight. Oh sure, **now **they're interested in me! Well forget it! I ain't goin! Baldy and his band of merry mutant misfits can take a hike!" 

"Who said you were going?" Roadblock asked.

"I saw you talking to him," Todd told him. "Him and that Wolverine guy and the Weather Witch. I put two and two together!" 

"You're right." 

"What?"

"He did try to get me to give you to him. I said no. He can't have you. Boy I told you since day one you'd be stuck with me until you were a real fighter, and you are light years away from that!" 

"Really?" Todd felt better. "I am?" 

"You bet you are!" Roadblock told him. "You can't even follow orders right! And your punches…better, but you still need hours and hours of training for that alone!" 

"Hey! You're right!" Todd beamed. "I mean my timing was way off! I just got lucky fighting the Brotherhood!"

"You bet you were!" Roadblock grinned.

"Well I guess I'd better face it," Todd grinned. "I have a lot more training to do. Oh darn." 

"You betcha! We're gonna have to work twice as hard from now on! No more training to shirk! Mister you are gonna work! And if you even think of slacking off…" Roadblock smiled.

"You're gonna kick my butt!" Todd smiled back. 

"Yeah like this!" Roadblock playfully tackled Todd. Both wrestled jokingly for a few minutes. This ended with Roadblock pinning Todd to the ground. "See that boy? What are you gonna…AAGGGH!" He gasped as Todd's tongue slimed him. 

"I'm slain!" Roadblock grasped his heart, pretending to be wounded. "NOT!" This time he retaliated in giving Todd a tremendous tickle attack. 

"Okay! Okay!" Todd gasped. "You win! You win! I give up! I give up!" 

Both separated laughing. Roadblock mussed Todd's hair. Todd laughed. _What the heck was I thinking? _Todd beamed. _How could I have ever thought that Roadblock would send me away? He does care about me! I should have known that he'd never send me away with those creeps! I knew he was different!_

"Better?" Roadblock asked.

"Yeah," Todd nodded and got up. "Well, I guess I gotta go and say good bye. What a shame!" He started to go.

"Uh…Todd…"

Todd looked back at him. "Uh oh," He said. "I don't like the sound of that." 

"They're not leaving just yet," Roadblock told him. 

"What?" 

"That was the other thing we talked about. The professor thinks it might be a good idea that they train with us Joes for a while. Thinks his kids will benefit from the same type of training you did." 

"Aw man!" Todd kicked some dirt.

"It will only be a few weeks," Roadblock explained to him. "He's gonna work out the details with Hawk. They'll even have their own dorm separate from where we live."

"A few weeks!" Todd exclaimed. "Roadblock it took all the self control I had not to kill them last night! I'm not gonna make it!" 

"Todd…" 

"Roadblock," Todd whined. "No!" 

"Come on," Roadblock took Todd's head in his hands. "I know it's gonna be difficult, but you can do it. Todd look at me! You can put up with them for a while longer. I know you don't like them but this is your chance to settle some issues with your past. You have to give them another chance. They won't try to recruit you; they just want to train. That's all."

"No…" Todd whined.

"Todd," Roadblock said sternly. "I want you to promise me that you'll behave and try to get along with them. Do this for me. Please?" 

"Oh all right," Todd sighed. "I'll do it for you. I promise. I'll try hard to be nice to them. But if they start something…"

"They won't." 

"They'd better not." 

"They won't. Just be good." 

"But if they do…" Todd started. 

"NO!" 

"How about if they call me names?" 

"No." 

"How about if they call you a bad name?"

"No!" 

"How about if they complain about your cooking?" 

"Okay then you can fight them. But try to get along alright?" 

"Okay," Todd sighed.

"Now go get washed up for breakfast," Roadblock told him. "Oh one more thing, don't tell them about the other kids just yet. All right?" 

Todd nodded and went to clean himself up.

************************************************************************

Xavier looked out the window, watching Todd and Roadblock spar playfully. Although he did not enter Todd's mind he could sense the love and affection the boy had for Roadblock. Somehow the Joe had unlocked that door of anger and hate and turned the boy around. He was still a long way from perfect, but he was finally on the right track.

As happy as he was for Todd, Xavier still felt a pang of jealousy as well as relief. "Perhaps I'm not as good a teacher as I thought I was," He sighed. "I should have been kinder, worked harder to recruit the boy. Maybe if I had the boy wouldn't have suffered as much."

Logan shrugged. "Maybe. But the truth is the boy is better off here than he is with us. The important thing is the kid has a family now. Somebody who will take care of him and love him for who he is. That's all that matters. Let's face it, Chuck, not every mutant we find is going to be cut out to be an X-Man. Some have to go their own way." 

"Yes, Toad was lucky enough to find his. Perhaps it's because he has a more disciplined environment here. More personal attention," He sighed. "I shouldn't have been so quick to dismiss the Joes. What happened wasn't their entire fault. I admit I was foolish to think that we were safe enough, never realizing how much in danger we really were. And now that people know about our school…." 

"It's a good idea to let the kids train here a while," Logan told him. "It will get them out of the mansion anyway. And they could certainly use the discipline." 

"True," Xavier said. "But that's only half the reason. Cerebro managed to locate five other mutant signatures on the main Joe base, although it couldn't get a clear reading."

"Five?" Logan was puzzled. "Soldiers? Or kids?" 

"I don't know but they are definitely hiding something. Why?"

"I don't wanna assume the worst," Logan told him. "I know these people. They're different from most other units. They ain't like you think they are. At least Hawk isn't. Cobra does have a rep for creating their own mutants and then tossing them aside like garbage, what's left of them anyway. They could be throwaways like Toad. " 

"I hope you're right." Xavier sighed. 


	56. Breakfast Time

**Breakfast Time**

Todd quickly washed himself and changed into his outfit, minus the headband and jacket. He then proceeded to the cafeteria where the X-Men had already entered. Roadblock, Xavier, Logan, Ororo and Falcon were there too. They were already talking and eating. He took a deep breath before entering. _Here goes_, Todd thought before entering. 

"Yo! Morning everybody!" Todd hopped into the room and onto an empty chair between Kurt and Rahnee. "Wazzup?" 

All of the X-men stopped talking and looked at him in awkward silence. "What?" Todd asked. "I cleaned up before I came in? Why are you all looking at me?" 

"Sorry," Kitty apologized. "It's all like, so weird you know? Like you're back from the dead."

"Yeah it's kinda hard to believe it's really you," Jubilee said.

Todd shrugged and used his tongue to grab a bottle of ketchup for his eggs. "Oh yeah it's you all right," Evan groaned.

"Todd," Roadblock said sternly. "No tongue at the table! Remember?"

"Sorry," Todd munched on his food. He swallowed and looked at Remy. "So you finally went over to the X-Gee…uh X-Men huh?"

"Yeah," Remy said. "And you've been here all this time?"

"Yup," Todd nodded. "So what's new with you guys back in Bayville? Come on, tell me what happened in school!" 

"Before or after Avalanche trashed it?" Bobby groaned. 

"Oh man," Todd laughed and slapped the table. "I remember Falcon saying something about that! I can't believe he trashed another one! Man that is just nuts!" 

"That's not funny Toad!" Jean snapped. 

"Funny!" Todd giggled. "It's hilarious! Whoo…" He then noticed he was getting glares from the X-Men. "Well it's a…you know. A Brotherhood in-joke. You know?" 

"People could have been hurt," Scott said with a glare of disapproval.

"Oh well…" Todd folded his fingers and tried to look apologetic. "That's bad. Very bad. Um…so what else happened?" 

"Well um…" Kitty spoke up. "Scott and Jean are finally a couple."

"Well it's about time," Todd said. "You two have been making goo goo eyes at each other since day one! So you finally dumped that idiot jock Duncan huh?"

"Yeah," Jean frowned.

"Boy I would have loved to have seen that," Todd shook his head laughing. "What?" He was getting looks again.

"The whole school saw it," Rogue snapped. "Jean got totally humiliated."

"Well then I definitely…" Todd started to say before getting a look from Roadblock. "Really feel bad for you on that. Really. Terrible shame. Okay Blue Boy how about you and your girl huh? Anything new there? When's the wedding?" 

"Very funny Toad!" Kurt said. "At least I have a girlfriend!"

"Hey I was just asking," Todd snapped. "Trying to make nice you know? What her parents make her dump you or something?" 

"No, we just thought that…" Kurt fumed. "None of your business! Listen Toad, why don't you forget about everyone else's love life until you get one of your own!" 

"Oh yeah?" Todd's voice grew louder. "Well for your information Fuzzy, it just so happens that…" 

"TODD!" Roadblock shot him a warning look. "That's enough. There are things that are best if left alone. Everyone's entitled to their **secrets**? Okay?" 

Todd got the hint. "Oh…yeah. Um, sorry." 

"I realize there are still some issues you students have with Toad," Xavier said. "But please try to get along." 

"You know Todd here has made excellent progress in his martial arts training," Roadblock said. 

"Yeah," Todd said happily. "I love that stuff! It really works too! And I get to train with real ninjas and everything! Wait until you guys meet the Blind Master! He's really something! Hey I could introduce all of you around when we go to the Pit!"

"What's the Pit?" Jubilee asked.

"It's the main Joe base where I live now," Todd told her. "That's where all of you are gonna be training for a few weeks."

"We are gonna what?" Scott shouted. Several X-men started to protest. Xavier gave Todd an uncomfortable look.

"You didn't tell them yet did you?" Todd gulped. 

"No I didn't," Xavier sighed. "I had hoped to tell all of you this after breakfast, but I feel that perhaps you all might benefit from some training with the Joes."

"Are you nuts?" Kurt shouted. "Don't you remember what happened the last time the Joes were watching us?"

"Well this time if something happens our own base will be destroyed," Falcon quipped.

"I don't believe this!" Bobby shouted.

"This stinks!" Rahnee agreed. 

"Training with the Toad," Evan grumbled. "A dream come true!" 

"Professor you can't be serious!" Jean asked. "This is not how I wanted to spend my vacation!" 

"And like we don't get any say in this at all?" Kitty fumed. 

"Oh come on Kitty," Todd said. "It ain't that bad. Hey if I could do it so can you guys."

"That's not the point Toad," Scott said.

"And what is the point?" Todd raised an eyebrow. 

"He means why should we trust these people?" Remy snapped. "They're the army for crying out loud!"

"So?" Todd snapped. "Don't tell me you still believe all the crap Magneto told us about humans?" 

"These people spied on us behind our backs!" Scott snapped. 

"I thought I explained this," Falcon groaned. 

"All right that's enough," Xavier said. "I realize we all still have feelings considering our past history with the Joes. But I am now convinced that they really do want to help us. Toad is proof of that."

"That's right!" Todd snapped. "They took me in when **everybody** else turned their backs on me!" 

"Look it's the least we can do," Falcon said. "Besides you did have a couple of weeks of school left anyway. We can help you with that too. I understand how you feel, believe me, but we're not your enemies here. We never were. And Toad's not your enemy anymore either. So can't we just put our pasts behind us and try a fresh start?" 

Silence. "Well I guess we could try it," Scott sighed.

"Yeah how hard could it be if Toad could do it," Evan grumbled. 

"That's the spirit," Logan said. 

"Yeah why don't we all bury the hatchet you know?" Todd said. "Magneto and Cobra are the people we ought to be fighting. Not each other. Look I'm not crazy about you guys but I'm willing to give this a chance." 

"Yeah right," Rogue scoffed, folding her arms. 

"Look Rogue I didn't mean to make you upset last night," Todd said. "I'm sorry." 

"What?" Remy growled. "What happened?"

"Nothing," Rogue said quickly. "Drop it."

"No way!" Kurt snapped. "What did you say to her Toad?" 

"Well I told her that Mystique is her mom as well as yours," Todd snapped. 

"WHAT?" Kurt shouted. 

"Todd," Roadblock groaned. "You're not supposed to tell them that!" 

"Wait, you mean it's true?" Kurt gasped. "I don't believe you people knew about this!"

"Well we ain't the only ones," Todd snapped. "Falcon found out that the Professor found out a while back but he didn't say anything either!" 

"WHAT?" Kurt and Rogue glared at Xavier. 

"I was waiting until you were ready to handle this information," Xavier tried to explain. 

"Information?" Rogue snapped. "Mystique is my mother! This is not just some little tidbit you can use for some plan!" 

"I guess he was going to tell you guys that the same day he told Blue Boy here that his mom and Magneto did experiments on him when he was a baby," Todd said.

"Toad how could you tell him that?" Scott snapped. "You can't just blurt that out?" 

"Wait minute…" Kurt looked at Scott. "You knew about this too didn't you?" 

"We figured it out from the time I touched Mystique," Rogue snapped. 

"You and the professor knew about this?" Kurt gasped. 

"We didn't want you to get hurt," Jean said. 

"Hurt?" Kurt snapped. "So this is why I look the way I look? You had the answers to my past all this time and you never told me? You're supposed to be my friends! I had to find out about it from Toad?" 

"Hey!" Todd snapped. "Don't put the blame on me! They were supposed to tell you guys in the first place! I didn't mean to blurt out the truth like that!"

"Oh I'll bet you didn't!" Rogue got up and started to leave. 

"Rogue where are you going?" Ororo asked.

"Somewhere I can be alone!" She snapped.

"I'll get her," Remy got up and followed her. 

"Well Professor?" Kurt snapped. "Do you have anything else to tell me? Or maybe I should just ask Toad here? He seems to know more about my life than I do anyway!" 

"Don't say anything more Toad!" Falcon warned. "Especially about Mystique doing experiments on you and the other mutants! Oops."

"What?" Kurt looked pale.

"Yeah you got one real nice mom," Todd snapped. "Gets her kicks torturing kids and fiddling around with their DNA!" 

Kurt swore something in German and then teleported out of the room. "Oh great," Logan got up. "Come on Storm let's see if we can find the elf before he gets himself into any trouble." 

"I'll go with you," Jean got up and joined them.

"Oh well this is great!" Scott threw down his napkin. "Just great! Toad's not even back in our lives for a day and already he's causing trouble! Some things never change!" He got up. "This is a mistake! I am out of here!" 

"Scott wait!" Xavier called out to him. 

"You just love it when you cause trouble for us don't you?" Kitty snapped following Scott.

"I lost my appetite," Rahnee sniffed as she left.

"I'm gone too," Evan said. Soon all the remaining X-Men were gone. Leaving Falcon, Roadblock and Toad behind.

"Well that went well," Falcon quipped. 

"I guess I kinda put my foot in it huh?" Todd said.

"You think?" Roadblock looked at him. "This is why we never let you in our secret meetings." 

"This is gonna be a fun two weeks," Falcon sighed. 


	57. The Clean Up Crew

**The Clean Up Crew**

It took 35 minutes before things had settled down. After everyone had cooled off a bit, Roadblock sent the kids to clean up after the previous night's battle. When some of the X-Men started to protest, Roadblock asked if they'd rather plead their case in front of a military tribunal. That shut everyone up. 

As if cleaning up the mess wasn't enough to put all of them in a foul mood, the little divisions within the group were not helping the tensions at all. Rogue and Kurt were mad at Xavier. Kurt was angry with Rogue, Scott and Jean for keeping secrets from him. And everybody was angry with Todd. At this point Todd really didn't care and decided just to try and put up with them as much as possible. He channeled his hostility into the cleaning project. So it came as no surprise that he was getting the most work done which several Joes pointed out to the X-Men which made them madder at him than ever. 

In a strange way, Todd was enjoying himself. It wasn't often that he had a chance to show up the X-Men, so he decided to make the most of it. He decided to be deliberately cheerful about working. This plan to make the X-Men even more miserable worked extremely well.

"Oh whistle while you work!" Todd sang out as he lifted some debris. 

"I'd like to shove that whistle down your throat!" Kurt grumbled. 

"Oh come on people now that's not a positive attitude is it?" Todd smirked. 

"This is so unfair!" Kitty grumbled lifting a branch. 

Scott destroyed some rubble with his eyebeams. "Yeah, once again we're stuck cleaning up the mess the Brotherhood made! That's fair!" 

"Uh, correct me if I'm wrong but you guys weren't exactly neat when you barged in here as well," Todd pointed out.

"We never would have come here if we'd known it was your slimy hide stuck on this base!" Evan snapped, throwing down his broom. 

"You missed a spot," Todd quipped pointing out the huge amount of dust and broken items on the concrete. 

Evan popped out some spikes from his arms, intending to start a fight, but Jean stopped him. "Come on, don't let him get to you," She told him. "It's not worth it!"

"Yeah you guys are already in enough trouble," Todd pointed out. He noticed Jean using her telekinesis to move some debris. "Well that's one way of getting work done without breaking a nail."

"Just ignore him," Rogue told Jean.

"I'm trying," She said. 

"Now this is what I call the old Toad deluxe!" Todd threw up a heavy beam, then stood on his hands and used his legs to kick it into a nearby large metal trash bin. "Two points! And the crowd goes wild!" 

"Will you stop fooling around?" Scott snapped.

"Hey I'm just trying to make the best of a bad situation," Todd told him. "Lighten up Summers. Why not have a little fun with it?"

"You don't want to know what I'd think would be fun right about now," Kurt snapped. 

"This is so stupid," Bobby snapped. "This wasn't our fault! Why do we have to do this?"

"Yeah I'm with him," Jubilee snapped. "This is too much work!"

"You people are unbelievable!" Todd spat. "You don't hear me complaining and I didn't even make this mess! Don't you have any idea how easy you guys are getting off?" 

"Shut up Toad! We don't want to hear anything from you anymore!" Evan snapped.

"Yeah every time you open up your mouth there's trouble!" Rahnee snapped. 

"Yeah well at least he's working!" Falcon came over. "You all are just sitting around on your butts jabbering and complaining!" 

"Hey Falcon can I work over there?" Todd pointed to a larger area with even more junk scattered all over the place. "I'm a real good worker! I'll bet I can get it done all by myself in no time! Seeing as I'm the only one putting any effort into this job!" 

"Fine!" Jean snapped. "Send him away from us! Please!" 

"You know something Toad," Falcon said. "You can go practice your moves in the gym. You're done for the day. Since you've done most of the work around here anyway!" 

"Okie Dokie," Todd smiled. "Have fun guys," He cackled as he left.

"The rest of you get back to work," Falcon told them. "And no more complaining!"

"Well we know who's the favorite around here," Jean sniffed. 

"You're just sore because for once it's not you!" Kurt snapped. 

Falcon walked over to where a few other Joes were sitting. "Are you sure that was the right thing to do?" Mainframe asked. "I mean that's gonna make them resent Toad even more."

"They already resent him enough," Falcon snapped. "I mean Toad may have his faults but did you hear those kids?"

"Yeah I thought you had attitude problems," Mercer chuckled. "At least Toad was willing to pull his weight. Those stuck up snobs wanna play hero but they don't want to pay the consequences." 

"Yeah look at them," Dial Tone remarked. "Some of them aren't even trying!" 

"Not all of them," Falcon said. "Some of the older kids are working hard. This is good for them. A few weeks of training with us will smooth out the rougher edges." 

"Well the way these kids are going it will take a few weeks to get this done," Mercer pointed out. "Falcon I think it's time you and I put a fire under their butts, don't you think?"

"I dunno…" Falcon sighed. "These are kids. I don't want to push them too hard too soon." 

"Will you watch what you're doing!" Jean shouted.

"Hey I'm trying to move heavy things here!" Rogue snapped. "It's not my fault you're in the way!" 

"Oh yeah well stay out of mine!" Jean gave her a telekinetic shove. 

"Don't do that to my sister!" Kurt snapped and teleported over, giving her a kick in the behind. Soon all the X-Men were fighting with each other. 

"On the other hand…" Falcon said. 

Half an hour later the X-Men were staring at a huge pile of dishes that were taller than they were. "Is it just me or is there somebody up there who really wants to get us?"


	58. Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's Off to the Pit We Go!

**Hi-Ho-Hi-Ho, It's Off to the Pit We Go!**

"Well it's nice to see you guys finally done with KP," Todd snickered as the X-Men staggered in. "And it's only two o clock. Not bad." 

"Shut up Toad," Rogue snapped.

"Hey you can't blame me for this one," Todd told her. "You guys started that fight after I left. Remember?" 

"Ugh," Kitty groaned. "I'm gonna have dishpan hands for a week." 

"I gotta clean off the grime," Scott muttered and went into the bathroom. 

"Okay listen up!" Roadblock walked in. "Get yourselves ready to go! In a few minutes, off to the Pit we go!" 

"What?" Bobby asked. 

"We're leaving for the Pit now?" Todd blinked. "Today?" 

"Yup," Roadblock said. "Special orders. We're all moving out on the double. So get ready to go and don't give me trouble."

"Well if we're going then that means…" Realization hit Todd. "I gotta clean myself up! I can't go to the Pit looking this messy?"

"Huh?" Evan blinked. "Okay did I hear what I think I just heard or is my hearing going?" 

Scott came out of the bathroom only to be nearly knocked down by Todd. "What the..?" 

"GET OUT OF THE BATHROOM!" Todd shouted. "I HAVE TO CLEAN UP!" He locked himself in. 

"Did I just hear what I thought I heard?" Scott asked. 

"We all did," Rogue blinked. "I never thought I'd see that." 

"Well he does have a reason," Roadblock chuckled. 

"Okay why is Toad so anxious to clean himself up?" Scott asked.

"You'll find out when we get there," Roadblock said. 

Twenty minutes later Roadblock was waiting outside the bathroom. "Okay kid this is probably the only time I am ever going to say this but get out of the bathroom now! You're clean enough!" 

Falcon came in. "What's the hold up? Don't tell me he still in there?" 

"Yup," Roadblock pounded on the door. "Toad move it!" 

"Okay, okay," Todd came out. "How do I look? Do I at least smell better?" 

"Come on Romeo," Roadblock sighed. "And I don't want another shower incident when we get back! Do you hear me?"

"That wasn't my fault!" Todd protested. "She keeps barging in on me!" 

"Yes well that last time you weren't exactly protesting now were you?" Roadblock told him.

"Would you?" Todd asked.

"The kid has a point," Falcon chuckled. 

"Just try to keep your hormones under control," Roadblock grumbled as they left. 

Ten minutes later they were finally on their way. Xavier, Logan and Ororo took their own vehicles while the kids were all on the Joe's transport. "Why did we have to fly all together?" Kitty asked. "There's like hardly enough room on here!"

"Maybe they were afraid you guys would make a break for it," Todd suggested.

"He's got a point," Evan grumbled. "I know I'd run given half the chance." 

"Get your elbow out of my face!" Rogue snapped. 

"So-rry!" Jubilee snapped. "It's not my fault we're crammed in here like sardines." 

"Move your leg!" Bobby snapped.

"Move your leg!" Remy snapped. 

"Hey Fuzz Ball keep to your own side will ya?" Todd snapped. By a cruel twist of fate they were sitting together. 

"Make me!" Kurt stuck out his tongue.

"Oh with pleasure!" Todd started to make a fist.

"That's enough!" Roadblock shouted. "Toad! Nightcrawler! Cool it! Just sit tight and don't fight!"

"Tell them that!" Todd pointed over his shoulder. Scott, Remy and Bobby were wrestling in their seats.

"Will you cut that out?" Roadblock separated them.

"He started it!" They all said, pointing to each other and then arguing about it. 

"No wonder Wolverine and Xavier insisted on flying their planes themselves and sticking us with the kids," Roadblock groaned. 

"Ah the kids are just bored Roadblock," Their pilot, a Joe by the name of Wild Bill spoke up. "How about a song. How's this one? _I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves…everybody's nerves…" _

"NO!" Roadblock shouted. "I am not going to listen to that song again!" 

"Why not?" Todd asked. "I like that song! _I know a song…" _

"If you think you're gonna annoy us that way think again!" Kurt snapped. _"I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves!" _

Soon all the students were singing along trying to outdo each other. "These kids are gonna drive me insane! Any aspirin on this plane?" Roadblock groaned. 

A few hours and several arguments and hissy fits later they finally landed. "Oh thank god," Roadblock groaned as he got out. "I thought we'd never land!" 

Standing before them was a man in a brown brigadier general's uniform. He called to attention. Instinctively the X-Men and Toad did so. Xavier, Logan and Ororo had landed their crafts as well and stood next to their students, although not at total attention. 

"I'm General Hawk," The man told them. "Leader of GI Joe. Welcome to the Pit." 


	59. I'm A Believer

**I'm a Believer**

"Welcome to the Pit," Hawk told them. "During the next two weeks you will all be given basic training as well as schooling. We are going to smooth out some of those rough edges until you have developed some decent fighting skills. Do you understand me?"

"Yes sir!" The students all shouted. "General Hawk sir!" 

"Good," Hawk nodded. "Now I want to have a word with your instructors for a minute." A Joe came up. "This is First Sergeant Duke, second in command here. Duke will you show Xavier and these good people their rooms while Roadblock gets the kids settled? Then you can come to my office and we can discuss some matters." 

"How about showing us the pool hall?" Logan called out. "I still have a game to settle with you."

"Logan you old dog face!" Hawk grinned and gripped Logan's hand. "How's it going?" 

"Well not bad considering," Logan smirked. 

"You know each other?" Scott asked.

"We've been thrown together time and again," Logan smirked. 

"Well come on and tell me what's been going on with you!" Hawk said. He and Logan took off laughing like they were best buddies. 

"Uh this way," Duke said to Xavier and Ororo, clearly as surprised as they were. They left.

"Boy Mr. Logan sure knows a lot of people," Kitty said. 

"Now all we have to do is wait for your tour guide to help you kids get settled in," Roadblock sighed. "And then the fun can begin." He looked behind him at the water. "And here she comes!" He pointed to a boat roaring in from the docks. 

"She?" Remy asked. 

"You wanted to know why Toad was so anxious?" Roadblock smirked. "Here comes your answer." 

The pilot of the small boat got out and came up to them, her long black hair streaked with blue flowing in the wind. "Hey that's that girl from Hawaii!" Kurt exclaimed. 

"This is Althea Delgato," Roadblock introduced. "Code named Wavedancer!"

"We've met," Althea told him. 

"You!" Jean snapped. "I don't believe this!" 

"You met these guys before?" Todd asked. "You didn't tell me that!" 

"You never asked," Althea said. 

"So you are a mutant!" Kurt said. "What are your powers?" 

Althea lifted her hair to reveal small delicate gills on her neck. "I can breathe underwater for a start. All my sisters and my brother can do that too. Plus I can control water." 

"Wait," Rogue said. "Sisters? Brother?" 

"Yeah I have three younger sisters and one baby brother," Althea nodded. "We're all mutants. Kinda runs in the family." 

"So you live on this base?" Remy asked.

"All my life," Althea said. "Hey it's pretty cool around here. Once you know how things work. First place I guess we'd better show you guys where you'll be bunking." 

"As long as it's not with Toad I have no problem," Kurt whispered to Evan. 

"Well lets move it out on the double," Roadblock said. 

"Yeah why don't we…" She turned around and saw something. "YOU? HEY WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" 

Shipwreck walked by carrying luggage. "I'm directing the London Symphony Orchestra! What does it look like I'm doing? Who'd have thought the Professor had brought all this junk?"

"Some of it's ours," Jean told him. "The Professor had me pack some of the X-Men stuff."

"Wonderful," Althea groaned. "Well while you're playing pack mule, who's watching the terrible trio and the baby?" 

"They'll be fine," Shipwreck waved. "Besides it's not exactly easy to get someone to baby-sit them! And the girls are ten so they aren't exactly helpless!" 

"That's what I'm worried about!" Althea groaned. "Toad I need a favor. Could you go to my house and check up on them?" 

"Sure thing," Todd nodded.

"You'd better bring help," Althea told him. "You know how they get when they're unsupervised!" 

"Okay. Hey Blue boy wanna come see the kids?" Todd smirked. He had an evil plan in mind. 

"Why not?" Kurt shrugged. 

"I'd better go too," Scott said. "Just to make sure you don't kill each other."

"Hey the more the merrier," Todd shrugged. 

"Come on," Althea motioned. "I'll show the rest of you where you're gonna sleep." They went off towards the barracks. 

"Well let's go," Todd motioned. "Can't leave my girl's siblings alone for a minute!" 

"Wait," Kurt looked at him. "She's your what…?"

"Girlfriend," Todd told him with a smirk on his face. "That's kinda why I had to go to that base for a while. Kind of a cooling off period. She kinda has this habit of barging in on me when I'm taking a shower. Last time she came in topless and…well you know how it is." 

Kurt and Scott stood there with open mouths. Neither could make a sound. "Hey don't get me wrong," Todd said quickly. "Nothing happened. She's just very affectionate with me. That's all." 

"You're making that up!" Scott said.

"You have to be," Kurt said. 

Althea ran back up. The other X-Men were busy looking around the base and were a ways away. "Yo Babe!" Althea said. "I forgot something!" 

"What?" Todd asked.

"This!" She grabbed him and gave him a very long kiss. "See ya!" She winked and ran off. None of the other X-Men had seen what had happened. 

"Think I'm making it up now?" Todd grinned and smoothed his hair. "Well what are you waiting for? Let's go!" He hopped off. 

"Miracles do happen," Kurt said.

"I'll tell you one thing," Scott muttered. "I'd never thought I'd ever be jealous of Toad that's for sure." 

"No wonder he didn't want to come back," Kurt said. 


	60. A Meeting With Hawk

**A Meeting With Hawk**

After they had been shown around the base and seen their quarters, the adult members of the team went to Hawk's office. Inside were Roadblock, Hawk and two other Joes. One was a blond man in a green uniform and the other was a dark haired man in a red medic's uniform with green sunglasses. 

"Come in please," Hawk motioned for Ororo and Logan to sit. "I'd like you to meet Lifeline and Psyche-Out. Psyche here is our resident shrink and Lifeline is our head medic." The pleasantries were quickly yet politely dispersed with. "Well Professor I take it you have some concerns you wanted to discuss."

"Well that is putting it mildly," Xavier said. "You did place several operatives in the high school to spy on us. Then again, after what I've seen with Cobra, maybe it was just as well. I just wish you consulted me first." 

"Couldn't risk it at the time," Hawk told him. "We weren't exactly sure whose side you were on." 

"Well that's reassuring," Xavier frowned. 

"I know you still have some reservations about us," Hawk told him. "Quite frankly I don't blame you. But we both believe in a better future where mutants and humans can work together. We all want a better future for the kids."

"Speaking of kids, what's the story with Toad?" Logan asked. 

"My unit was on patrol," Roadblock told him. "We found him. We couldn't let him die in that swamp so we brought him back here and took him in." 

"And what are your intentions for Toad?" Ororo asked.

"The same intentions you have for your X-Men," Lifeline replied. "His progress is going well, not just his fighting abilities, but his emotional well being as well." 

"The kid's been working through a world of hurt," Psyche-Out explained. "He still has a ways to go, but he's getting there."

"Why didn't you call me?" Xavier asked.

"Two reasons," Roadblock replied. "First, he didn't want to see you. Secondly he's safer here. Mystique threatened his life. Quite frankly, we didn't think you could protect him." 

"Now just a minute," Xavier was starting to get a bit miffed. "My school is designed to help mutants. My students know how to handle difficult situations."

"With all due respect sir, your students don't know anything!" Roadblock snapped. "You have no idea how much danger that kid was in. Lifeline, show them."

Lifeline took out a file and hesitated. "Are you sure?" 

"Go on," Roadblock said. 

Lifeline did so. "As you can see, these were taken shortly after we found him," He explained about the photographs. "His injuries were quite extensive." 

Storm's face grew pale. "Goddess…" 

"Mystique did that," Roadblock said with cold eyes. "He was unconscious for a week. He nearly died." 

" I knew she was a threat," Xavier said softly. "But I had no idea. I never dreamed she could do something like this!"

"Believe it," Roadblock told him. "And she's done a lot worse to some other mutants that weren't as lucky."

"Now you understand our concerns," Hawk said.

"I knew I should have taken her out when I had the chance," Logan snarled. 

"She's done a lot worse than this," Hawk said. "We learned that she's been in several mutant experimentation operations with Magneto. One place was disguised as an orphanage. Toad was there as well. When he was younger, he was subjected to such terrible experiments that his mind blocked out his memories when he escaped. He's only just remembered them now." 

"My god," Xavier rubbed his forehead. "I knew he was bitter and twisted with hate. But I had no idea the depths Magneto was willing to sink to in order to ensure mutant supremacy." 

"Like it or not Professor, you need our help more than you realize," Hawk told him. "Do you have any idea how many lunatics there are that would love to get their hands on a mutant for experimentation? Cobra is only the tip of the iceberg. A big tip, but there are many more! I can name at least two dozen organizations that are more than aware of your school. Terrorist groups, renegade spy agencies, foreign powers, billionaires who want to find ways of making more money, not to mention the odd nutball scientist whose idea of a good time is to splice up mutants into tiny pieces…" 

"I get the picture," Xavier said.

"Have you ever heard of the Jugglers?" Hawk asked.

"No," Xavier shook his head.

"I have," Logan said. "Supposedly they're supposed to be the real power players in Washington. But I thought it was a rumor. Even SHIELD doesn't know if they exist." 

"They are real all right," Hawk told them. "Let's just say I know them very well. They are an elite group of generals from each branch of the armed forces. They are supposed to be a balancing agent within the government and military. However they are also not exactly the most altruistic group in the world. They're the ones who wanted us to watch over you and the X-Men."

"I don't like the sound of that," Logan frowned.

"Fortunately in the past few years there's been a shake up in the Juggler's ranks," Hawk smiled. "Some of the worst and most corrupt have been replaced by…well let's just say the less corrupt. True, they still want to use their position for money and power, but they also are very interested in preserving freedom. In fact, a few of them are what you might call pro mutant. Well, as pro mutant as you can get with that group. Suffice to say that they are more interested in creating alliances with mutants rather than enslaving them. It's more profitable for them." 

"Why doesn't that reassure me?" Xavier muttered. 

"I know," Hawk nodded. "Still you can't fully trust them. But don't worry, let's just say I made a little deal to keep them from coming after any mutants on our base. And to keep you safe as well."

"Blackmail huh?" Logan smiled. 

"Bingo," Hawk smiled back. "That's another reason Toad's safer here." 

"Toad's been under my care," Psyche Out explained. "This is the first time in a long while that he's had a real home. He's bonded with Roadblock. He sees this as a safe place. He's made great improvements, but he still needs individual attention." 

"He does need help with his social skills," Lifeline said. "And so do the other kids on the base." 

"There are other children here?" Xavier asked.

"Their father is a Joe," Hawk explained. "Their mother was a former Cobra agent that was subjected to mutating experiments. We've practically raised them in order to keep those kids safe from Cobra and anyone else that wants to hurt them. They're family here." 

"That's why we're so protective of those kids," Roadblock explained. "When we found Toad and took him in, well it we kind of got attached to him as well." 

Xavier looked at Roadblock. "You're very fond of the boy aren't you?"

Roadblock shrugged. "Hey, he's not that bad. Just needs somebody to keep his froggy butt outta trouble twenty-four seven that's all. I mean let's face it, his social skills need serious upgrading, not to mention he's a trouble magnet. Gets into more trouble with that tongue of his than a dog at a cat show." 

Xavier and Hawk both gave him knowing looks. "All right you got me!" Roadblock threw up his hands. "I've more than gotten used to him. The little tadpole grew on me. You didn't see how hurt and helpless he was when we found him. He was scared of his own shadow…" Roadblock went silent. "I promised myself that I'd raise that boy as if he were my very own and I intend to keep it." 

"I guess I can understand that," Xavier said. "So what happens now?"

"Well tonight we've decided to put together a little get together," Lifeline said. "A barbecue so that the kids will get to know each other better. Tomorrow we can start training. But we'd also like for you to bring the other students here as soon as possible so that they can start training."

"I've already called Hank back at the mansion," Xavier explained. "The others will be here in a few days."

"I can help with Peter's recovery as well," Lifeline said. "We have a lot of recovery and therapy methods so he'll be on his feet in no time." 

"Well that's good to know," Xavier said. "This might work out after all. We'll stay for at least two weeks. It shouldn't be that hard." 

Not long after Xavier regretted saying those words. 


	61. Meet the Delgatos

**Meet the Delgatos **

"Well here we are," Todd said as they walked in the house. "Casa Delgato. Now let's see what the little lunatics are up to. Oh be careful, they're really smart. Especially the girls."

"We can handle them," Scott smirked.

"Okay," Todd shrugged. "Don't say I didn't warn you." 

Something green and yellow flew in and around the room several times squawking, buzzing over their heads. "Hey yo Polly watch it!" Todd shouted. 

"Polly?" Kurt asked as the parrot came to rest on Todd's head. 

"Yeah that's Shipwreck's bird yo," Todd said. "Hey bird! How's it going?"

"Hey he's kind of cute," Kurt said. "Does he talk? Hey does Polly want a cracker?"

"Awk! What Polly really wants is a beer!" The bird squawked. "What's with the freak show here?" 

"Hey be nice bird," Todd said taking the parrot off his head and putting him on his shoulder. "This is Cyclops and Nightcrawler. I told you about them."

"Oh yeah the X-Geeks!" The bird squawked. 

"It talks!" Scott was surprised.

"Yeah Shades, it talks!" Polly flapped his wings. "Geeze where did you dig this guy up? He's a real barrel of laughs!" 

"Lovely bird," Kurt grumbled as Polly flew around.

"Whatever you do don't let that bird near any alcohol," Todd told them. 

"Hey living in this nuthouse you need to stay half lit you half wit!" Polly squawked. 

"Hey Cyke," Todd got an evil glint in his eye. "Ever wonder what Kentucky Fried Parrot tastes like?" 

"No," Scott got the hint and adjusted his shades so that a glimmer of his eye beams could be shown. 

"Awwk!" Polly screeched. "Hey what's he gonna do?"

"Nothing if you settle down and be a nice birdie," Todd told him. "Now where are the kids?" 

"Baby's out back and the Evil Ones are upstairs," Polly said before screeching away. "I am out of here!"

"Humph," Todd grumbled. "Crazy bird. Okay, prepare yourselves. We are about to enter no-man's land. Prepare yourselves for the horrors that await you." 

"Oh come on Toad how bad could they be?" Scott asked.

"We're not bad," A voice came from behind them. Kurt and Scott jumped around and found three identical girls standing behind them. 

"Yeah and I'm the president of Bolivia," Todd grumbled. "Okay what did you do to Polly?" 

"Nothing," The three girls answered sweetly. They looked adorable in identical pink tops and jean shorts. The only thing that separated them was their hairstyles.

"I'm Daria," The girl with a ponytail on the right spoke.

"I'm Quinn," The girl with a ponytail on the left spoke.

"And I'm Brittany!" The girl with pigtails cheered. "And you're cute!" She blinked at Scott. "What's your names?"

"I'm Scott and he's Kurt," Scott smiled. "It's nice to meet you." 

"You're Todd's friends?" Quinn asked. 

"Sort of," Kurt grumbled. 

"You have such nice fur," Daria looked at it.

"You're not afraid of me?" Kurt asked.

"Why should I?" She replied. "You're a mutant too." 

"Don't get any ideas!" Todd told her. He turned to Scott and Kurt. "Watch out for them! They pretend to be sweet but it's all an act!"

"Oh come off it Toad," Scott said. 

"Would you like to see our room?" Brittany asked sweetly. 

"I would love to," Scott took Quinn and Brittany's hands. 

"Where's your brother?" Todd asked.

"In the pool," Quinn said. She looked at Scott. "I'll be ready to date in about five years." 

"Oh brother," Todd rolled his eyes. "Come on Fuzzy, we'd better get the little tadpole." 

"I'll go with the girls," Scott said walking with them to their room. 

"He'll be sorry," Todd sighed. "Oh well, at least he can't say I didn't warn him."

"Oh come on Toad," Kurt said. "They seemed so nice." 

"Listen you of all people should know that appearances mean nothing yo," Todd told them as they went out back. "Now where is the little guy?" 

There was a splashing sound in a nearby pool. "Oh there he is," Todd looked down. "He's at the bottom." 

"WHAT?" Kurt screamed. "We have to save him!" He dove in.

"Fuzzy no!" Todd shouted. "You'll scare him!" 

But Kurt didn't hear. He swam down and to his surprise he saw the little toddler. He looked normal except that he had seal like flippers for hands and feet. The child didn't seem to be in any danger at all. He looked fine. 

Then he saw Kurt and made a squealing sound. He tried to swim away, but Kurt cornered him. Kurt tried to grab him. That was when he saw the little mutant raise his flipper to hit him. Kurt suddenly realized that he couldn't hold his breath for much longer. The next thing he knew, everything went black. 

Before he realized it, he was on the ground. He struggled back to consciousness, vaguely aware he was being watched. "No he won't hurt you," Kurt heard Todd's voice. "Go ahead. Give his tail a little tug." 

Then a very sharp pain shot though his tail. "YEOOWW!" Kurt woke up screaming. He grabbed his tail away from the toddler. 

"I said a tug, not a bite," Todd told the little mutant. "Oh well close enough." 

"What in the world?" Kurt looked at the mutant. He was sitting in Todd's lap outside on the lawn. 

"This is Claudius," Todd held the little mutant. "Or as I like to call him, Little C for short. Can you say hi to the fuzzball Little C?" At this Claudius blew a raspberry. "I knew you could." 

Todd looked at Kurt. "I told you not to do that! He gets scared around new people easy. And he's got a pretty good right hook with that flipper of his. Pretty strong for a baby. Especially when he's scared and underwater." 

"I thought he was drowning," Kurt said.

"Hello!" Todd moved the hair on Claudius' neck to reveal his gills. "Gills! Remember?" 

"I forgot okay?" Kurt snapped. 

"Good thing I was here to pull you out and calm the little guy down," Todd said. "That's twice I saved your fuzzy butt." 

"Fuzzy!" Claudius giggled. 

"And you," Todd nuzzled Claudius. "You're all wet! Well we gotta get you dried off? Huh? Yes we do!" He got up, carrying the baby. "Come on Blue Boy, let's all get dried off." 

"Here you go," Todd tossed Kurt a towel. "You smell like a wet dog!"

"Yeah well at least I don't smell like a swamp!" Kurt snapped. 

Todd took a whiff. "That ain't me." Claudius giggled. "Oh boy. I think it's time for a change!" 

"Oh great!" Kurt grumbled.

"No problem," Todd waved. "Come on," They went into Claudius' room. It was brightly colored in a sailor motif. 

"Here," Todd handed Claudius to Kurt. "I'll get his clothes and a fresh diaper. You undress him." 

"Me?" Kurt whined.

"You don't have to change him!" Todd rolled his eyes as he started getting the clothing as well as the stuff he needed. "Just get him undressed!" 

"You know how to change a baby?" Kurt asked, surprised. "Hey! Claudius! Hold still!" 

"Yeah," Todd brought the supplies over to the changing table. "I had to help Althea baby sit a couple of times. You get used to it. Okay little guy let's see….WHOA!" He gasped.

"Oh man!" Kurt held his nose. "I thought **you **smelled bad!" 

"Okay!" Todd quickly cleaned and changed the baby. "There we go! Now to get him dressed." Claudius squirmed, trying to escape. "Now come on! Don't hit me! Good Boy! There we are!" Claudius was now dressed in a little sailor suit. "Nice and clean!" 

"Clean!" Claudius giggled. He climbed on Todd's back and hung on.

"Got a grip for someone without fingers," Todd chuckled. "Wanna Toad back ride? You got it!" Todd hopped around to Claudius' delight. "Come on Blue Boy get in the spirit of things. The first thing you gotta learn about hanging with this family is that you gotta have some fun!" 

"Some family this is," Kurt grumbled. "Toad's psychotic girlfriend, an abusive parrot and a hyperactive baby with a punch stronger than the Blob's! Well at least the triplets are somewhat normal." 

A loud scream was heard from down the hall. "You were saying?" Todd raised an eyebrow. "Come on, Summers needs our help!" 

They raced down the hall. "I knew I shouldn't have left him alone!" Todd snapped.

"Oh come on what could they…?" Kurt gasped as the door was opened. "Do?" He couldn't believe all the lab equipment in the girl's room. And it was all painted pink. The girls were standing around a lab table. Scott was strapped down on it. His hair was tied in little ponytails with ribbons. He had a gag on his mouth and his pants were down to his ankles.

"Nice shorts Summers," Todd quipped. 

"MMMFFFF!" Scott tried to shout through the gag. 

"What are you doing?" Kurt shouted.

"We had to keep him quiet," Brittany said. "We're practicing electrolysis. We are gonna remove some of those unsightly hairs from his bikini line." 

"Some people are such babies," Daria said. "A little electric shock and they fall to pieces." 

"It's such fun meeting new people," Quinn said. "And it's even more fun to see what we can do to them." 

"He's also going to help us with our experiment with tarantulas," Daria said. 

"Can we keep you as a pet?" Quinn asked Kurt sweetly.

"Okay back off!" Todd told them. "I've got slime and I'm not afraid to use it! Step away from the X-Geek and nobody gets it!" 

The girls glared at him. "You wouldn't!" Quinn snapped.

"He would," Daria said.

"Remember last time how I gunked up some of your toys here?" Todd sneered pointing to the computer. "Want a repeat of that incident? Back off!" 

The girls looked at each other and stepped away from Scott. Quickly Kurt untied him from the table. 

"What happened?" Kurt asked. 

"They attacked me!" Scott gasped. "The next thing I knew I was tied up!" 

"I warned you!" Todd said. "Okay Kurt port us out of here! Now!" 

"Got it!" Kurt grabbed them and they ended up in the back yard.

Scott pulled up his pants. "I couldn't believe how fast they were! Those kids are totally out of control!" 

A series of short screams got their attention. Actually it was more like a round of battle cries. To their surprise the three girls shot out of the upstairs window, grabbed onto a nearby tree and expertly back flipped themselves to the ground. They stood before them with water guns and whipped cream in their hands.

"Uh… I didn't mention that they were also trained ninjas did I?" Todd gulped.

"No you did not," Scott said as they backed away.

"Lock and load!" Brittany shouted. "Fire!" 

Kurt teleported away with the others. They ended up in the kitchen. As Scott locked the door on them, Todd grabbed some cans of whipped cream. "Okay I got some ammo yo!" 

"I have a feeling that isn't gonna hold them!" Scott said. 

"We've got no chance if we stay inside here!" Todd said. "Our best chance is outside in the open!" 

"They're inside the house!" Kurt exclaimed as he heard noises from upstairs.

"They've probably got one outside waiting for us to be smoked out!" Scott said. "Okay, Kurt you teleport outside. Then we split up and try to outflank her. I'll take the right and Toad you take the left. Kurt you take to the trees! Ready! Go!" 

They went according to plan. Unfortunately for Scott, Brittany had figured out this maneuver and he got soaked. "Here they are!" She shouted. "AAAHH!" She screamed when Kurt doused her with whipped cream. 

"HA!" Kurt crowed. 

"Nightcrawler behind you!" Todd shouted. 

Kurt teleported just in time, missing Daria's whipped cream assault. "Ha! Missed me! Niener! Niener! Niener!" He stuck out his tongue. 

And was hit in the back with whipped cream.

"Gotcha!" Quinn laughed. "HEY THAT'S COLD!" She screamed when Todd and Scott turned the hose on her. 

"Payback is so sweet!" Scott laughed insanely.

"BANZAI!" Daria and Brittany ganged up on them. Soon they were all soaking wet and covered with whipped cream. They battled each other ferociously. Claudius was having a ball running around, licking whipped cream off everything. Then he ran into a pair of legs and let out a yelp.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and saw Ororo standing there. "What is going on here?" 

"They started it!" Kurt pointed at the triplets.

"What happened to your hair?" Ororo looked at Scott. 

"You don't want to know," Scott groaned. "But it was their fault!" He pointed to the triplets. 

"Hi lady!" Brittany smiled. "I like your hair!" Immediately the triplets went into cute mode. 

"What are you doing here?" Todd asked as he wiped some whipped cream off his sleeve. 

"The others will be here as well for a barbecue Roadblock and their father are putting on," Ororo explained. "Except for Logan. Something about a pool game he and General Hawk had to finish." 

"And this here is the living room where we do our living," Althea's voice came from the house. She walked outside with the rest of the X-Men. "That's the kitchen where we do our kitchening! And here…Hey! Have you girls been playing 'Mad Scientist' again?" 

"Maybe," Daria answered sweetly. 

"And over here are my psychotic siblings," Althea motioned. "Brittany, Daria and Quinn, the terrible trio. Be careful, they have this bad habit of experimenting on strangers. "

"Now she warns us," Scott grumbled.

"Gah!" Claudius laughed.

"And my baby bro Claudius," She picked him up. "Warning, no 'Flipper' remarks! Got it?" 

"He's so cute!" Kitty cooed. 

"Watch out for his right hook," Kurt grumbled. "Trust me on this." 

"Hi lady," Daria said to Ororo sweetly. "You're very pretty."

"Well aren't you adorable," Ororo smiled.

"They're insane is what they are!" Scott snapped. 

"Oh come on Scott," Jean tickled Claudius' chin. "They look so sweet!"

"Looks are deceiving," Althea said. "These little maniacs are terrors!" 

"No we're not," Brittany blinked. 

"Man a whole family full of mutants," Evan said. "What's with all the water and whipped cream?" 

"It was self defense!" Scott shouted.

"I believe you," Althea told them. "I've had to turn the hose on them myself a couple of times."

"Well it looks like you've started the party before it even began," Ororo said. 

"Hey I remember you!" Althea looked at Ororo. "From the soccer game. You were the lady my dad was hitting on." 

"Your…" Ororo blanched. "Oh no!" 

"Well what do my eyes see?" Shipwreck leaned out the door. "An angel has fallen from heaven into my back yard!" 

"This is just perfect," Ororo rolled her eyes. 

"Not as perfect as you my sweet," Shipwreck smiled. Then he looked around. Then he saw Scott. "Let me guess, the triplets? What did they do? Tie you up and threaten to give you a makeover? Or was it electric shocks?" 

"Electric shocks," Scott groaned. 

"Oh god," Shipwreck sighed. He then smiled and took Ororo's hand. "See that's why we need a lady around the house!" 

"What you need is a brain transplant if you think she's gonna fall for that line!" Althea told him. 

"That's her father?" Xavier looked at Roadblock. They had just come in. 

"Oh yeah," He sighed. "That's our Shipwreck."

"Well now that every one has met," Shipwreck said. "Let's get cooking!" He raised his eyes suggestively at Ororo. "And maybe we'll get cooking later." 

"Actually Charles I think I'll fly back to the mansion and help Hank collect the other students," Ororo moved swiftly away from Shipwreck.

"But if you leave now you'll be flying all night!" Falcon said.

"That's fine with me!" Ororo left in a hurry. 


	62. Another Memorable Meal

**Another Memorable Meal**

"Now let's see what we have for fixin's," Shipwreck looked over everything. "Hot dogs, burgers, all kinds of the sausage varieties…I think we're all set."

"Plus we have salad," Roadblock was fixing stuff up in the kitchen. "Some vegetarian casseroles as well as potato salad, beans, potato chips, and all that other fatty junk kids like." 

"That's enough for an army," Xavier marveled at the huge pile of meats.

"Yeah well we figured the kids worked up an appetite," Shipwreck said. "Where's Falcon and Jinx? Aren't they gonna help us cook?"

"Nah they're playing tag football with the others," Althea came in carrying Claudius. "I just came in to drop off the rug rat here in his play pen." 

"Why don't you take it outside?" Roadblock suggested. "That way he won't be left out of the fun."

"Good idea," Althea said. 

"All right let's get this party started! Break out the beers!" Shipwreck yanked them out of the refrigerator. Althea gave him a look. "What? These are for the adults and I am only going to have one! Got it? One! I'm not gonna get drunk!" 

"I've heard that before!" Althea snapped.

"Now when have I ever gotten drunk around you kids and don't say your last birthday because you know damn well that was an exception!" Shipwreck snapped. "It was Ace that spiked the punch!"

"Well just stay within your limit!" Althea told him. "You're nuts enough sober!" 

"Yes mother," Shipwreck warbled in a funny voice. 

"I mean it mister!" She went to get the playpen. "I'll be watching you!" 

"They have an unusual relationship," Xavier commented to Roadblock.

"That's one way of putting it," Roadblock said. 

"Hey Charley," Shipwreck called out. "You want a cold one?"

"Um, no," Xavier refused politely. "Thank you but I don't drink." 

"Hey that's okay!" Shipwreck tossed him a soda. "Good for you! Leaves more beer for the rest of us!" 

"AWK!" Polly flew in. "Polly wants a beer!" He landed on Xavier's head. "Who's the bald guy?"

"Oh that's Polly my living feather duster," Shipwreck said. "Don't give him any beer! It doesn't mix well with his medication." 

Todd came in. "Hey yo, Althea come on! We need you!"

"I'm coming!" Althea called out. "Hey I need a hand in here!"

Shipwreck started clapping. "Very funny!" Althea shouted.

"I'll help," Todd went in. He came back out lugging a playpen and some toys. "Geeze do you think you have enough stuff for the kid?" 

"Just set it up outside!" Althea called out. "Claudie come back here!" 

Todd took it outside. "Um could you please get off my head?" Xavier asked Polly. 

"But I like it up here," Polly said.

"Off bird!" Althea came in carrying Claudius with one hand and swatting Polly with the other. "Sorry about that. He's too nosy for his own good."

"Daddy!" Quinn came in. "Where's the first aid kit?" 

"Which one?" Shipwreck asked. "The regular or the third degree burn one?"

"Regular," Quinn told him. "Bobby and Evan had a little collision on the playing field." 

"Under the sink," Althea said. "Here," She handed her Claudius as well. "Take him and put him in the playpen outside too." 

As Quinn left with the baby and the first aid kit Todd walked in. "All set up," Todd told her. "You coming?" 

"In a minute," She told him.

"Can I help?" Todd asked Roadblock watching him cook. 

"No you go out and play," Roadblock said. 

Todd inched his hand over to a jar filled with some kind of chocolate objects. "Don't even think about taking a bite!" Roadblock scolded. "You'll spoil your appetite!" 

"Aww," Todd pouted. "But they're my favorite! Pleeeeese?" 

"Oh all right just one," Roadblock relented. "But that's all! Now go and let me get some work done!"

"Yes!" Todd grabbed one and ran out the door. 

"Ah I can't blame the kid," Roadblock took one and chuckled as he ate it. "These are my favorite snacks too! You want one Professor?" 

"Why not?" Xavier ate one. 

"Yeah I brought in some of my homemade stuff for the kids as well," Roadblock said. 

"These are good," Xavier munched on the confections. "What are these?"

"Chocolate covered grasshoppers," Roadblock took another bite. "It's the legs that really make them crunchy."

Xavier's eyes bulged. "Shipwreck," He called out. "I changed my mind. I think I will have that beer." 

"Sure thing," Shipwreck gave him a can. Althea came in and saw this.

"Hey Martha Stewart," She quipped. "Don't you know a classy guy like the Professor don't drink from the can? Not everyone's as uncivilized as you ya know!"

"Aw sorry," Shipwreck handed Xavier a paper cup and poured the beer into it. "Better?"

"Much," Althea told him. "Hey do you remember where we buried that dynamite in the back yard? Rahnee's digging up holes and I don't want the triplets to find it or Jubilee to accidentally…." 

BOOOM! 

"Set it off," Althea groaned. "Never mind. I'll get the first aid kit," She grabbed it and looked outside. "Oh never mind, false alarm. It wasn't the dynamite after all. It's just Falcon setting up the barbecue. He put too much lighter fluid on it again." 

"Wait you have dynamite in the back yard?" Xavier asked. 

"Well we had to bury it or the twins would get at it," Shipwreck told him. "They made it themselves behind my back so we had to confiscate it! Which reminds me, why don't you go out and watch your sisters. Make sure they aren't trying to find it again."

"They're not," She said. "They're practicing first aid on Bobby. He looks like a mummy. I'd better rescue him. WILL YOU LUNATICS KNOCK IT OFF?" She ran outside. 

"Are they always this…loud?" Xavier winced.

"Actually for them this is pretty quiet," Roadblock said. "Usually they make a riot." 

"Oh," Xavier looked at the table. Polly had stuck his head into Xavier's cup and was slurping down his beer. 

"POLLY!" Shipwreck shouted. He grabbed the bird. "Bad parrot! I'm sorry Charley. I'll get you another beer."

"Oh no that's all right," Xavier said. "I'm all set thank you." He decided to attempt to make conversation. "So you raise five children by yourself?" 

"Ever since their mother took off," Shipwreck told him, slathering some kind of barbecue sauce on the meats. "It's not easy raising five hyperactive kids. Well you should know where I'm coming from since you have a handful yourself. I tell you I thought I had done it all. From fighting smugglers in Cuba and pirates in the Mekong Delta, to the Cobras in the Himalayan Mountains and the battles I fought in the Middle East, I've seen more than enough combat to toughen me up. But compared to parenthood, all of that is child's play!" 

"So their mother was a mutant as well?" Xavier asked. Too late he saw Roadblock signal him to shut up.

"Oh yeah," Shipwreck's tone darkened. "She volunteered as a guinea pig to Cobra and they screwed around with her DNA. I save her life, give her a home and a family and how does she repay me? By running off to live a life of luxury under the sea with that no good…" 

"BARBECUE TIME!" Roadblock shouted as he grabbed Shipwreck and steered him away outside. He handed him the meat platter. "Go put this on the grill! I just gotta finish up!" 

"Sore subject?" Xavier said.

"Yeah," Roadblock said. "What really gets him though is how she just abandoned her girls and her newborn son. Running out on him is one thing, running out on the kids is another!"

"Okay that's good to know what not to talk about," Xavier sighed. 

BOOM!

Roadblock looked outside. "What somebody should talk about to him is a lecture on fire safety and how not to barbecue!" 

************************************************************************

"NOW HEAR THIS! DINNERTIME!" Shipwreck shouted, clanging a triangle.

"Oh my muscles," Remy groaned. "That was the most savage game of touch football ever! Remind me never to play against the girls again!" 

"Oh let's just relax and enjoy our meal," Scott sighed. He had a Band-Aid on his chin. "At least we get to eat something good." 

"Why not?" Kurt sighed as he started to eat. "Some day! I find out my friends have been keeping secrets from me, Rogue's my sister, had to clean up after the Brotherhood's mess, got KP duty, forced to endure a two hour flight with the Toad, and I'm attacked by his girlfriend's insane siblings. This day cannot get any worse!" 

"Day ain't over yet," Todd muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" Kurt glared.

"I said this is the best burger yet," Todd covered. "Geeze not everything is about you Fuzzy!" 

"Yeah this food's not bad," Kitty munched on her vegetarian platter. 

"It should be," Todd told her. "Roadblock's a gourmet chef." 

"Well at least we can all have a nice relaxing meal," Xavier sighed. 

"GERONIMO!" Polly screeched as he flew wildly over their heads. 

"Oh great, we're being dive bombed by a drunken parrot," Jean grumbled. 

"Well as long as he doesn't use us for target practice don't worry about it," Althea said. "He'll tire himself out eventually." 

"Attention everyone!" Shipwreck called out. "LISTEN UP! THE PROFESSOR WANTS TO TALK TO YOU!" He turned to Xavier. "Go ahead Charley." 

"Uh, thank you," Xavier sighed. "Students, it's going to be a challenging two weeks but I think we can all make it if we learn to work together as a team. That includes working with Toad and Wavedancer." 

"I agree," Falcon said. "It's time we all put our pasts behind us."

"Some pasts are harder to forget than others," Rogue grumbled. 

"Well in the spirit of the occasion," Todd looked at them. "I guess I can forgive you guys!"

"What?" Scott snapped.

"**You** forgive **us**?" Evan shouted. 

"Yeah well it's the least I can do," Todd said. 

"You have a lot of nerve!" Kitty snapped. "After all the things you and the Brotherhood put us through!"

"Hey!" Todd snapped. "I'm an Ex-Brotherhood member! And you didn't seem to mind forgiving Gumbo over here and Roguey so why not cut me some slack?" 

"Well you're not exactly in the same class as they are," Jean grumbled.

Althea looked at Jean. "What exactly is that supposed to mean?" 

Jean waved it off. "Never mind, forget it."

"No," Althea said. "I wanna know what you meant by that crack!"

"That's not important," Scott said.

"Shut up Shades," Althea snapped. "I'm asking her a question and I'm waiting for an answer!" 

"I think you know what I mean," Jean glared at Althea.

"No I don't," Althea said glaring back. "Why don't you enlighten me?" 

"Awk! The Princess over here thinks you're lower than dirt!" Polly flew around.

"I wouldn't say that!" Jean snapped.

"No but you think it!" Todd snapped. 

"Uh you know these burgers are great!" Falcon interrupted. "Aren't they great, Jinx?"

"Yeah they are great!" She spoke up quickly. "Kids aren't these burgers great!" 

None of the students were paying attention. "You know Toad told me all about you," Althea said coldly. "And how you treated him." 

"Awk! Toad the Target! Awk!" Polly buzzed over their heads some more.

"Well I wouldn't put too much stock in anything Toad says if I were you!" Jean said.

"And why is that?" Althea's voice rose dangerously. 

"Liar! Liar! Pants on fire! You're hanging from a telephone wire!" Polly cackled. 

"COULD SOMEBODY PLEASE SHUT THAT BIRD UP?" Jean shouted. 

"Actually the bird has a point," Althea growled. "Are you calling Toad a liar?" 

"Fight! Fight!" The triplets chanted.

"Nobody is going to fight!" Xavier said.

"That's what you think," Daria told him. 

Jean turned around at her. "Do you want the truth?"

"No I want you to lie to me. Of course I want the truth!" Althea snapped.

"Jean…" Xavier gulped. 

"Oh god," Shipwreck groaned. 

"This is not gonna be pretty," Roadblock gulped. 

"Falcon better call for backup," Jinx groaned. 

"Well come on Red!" Althea snapped. "Spill it!" 

"Toad is not only a liar, he's a thieving little troublemaker who lives to annoy people! He's nothing but a bad influence!" Jean snapped. "He's a lying little creep." 

Althea took a deep breath before saying, "That lying little creep, just happens to be MY BOYFRIEND YOU WITCH!" She slugged Jean right in the eye. 

"FIGHT!" Brittany whooped. 

Althea went to slug Jean again when Scott grabbed her. "That's enough!" He shouted.

"It's enough when I say it's enough!" Althea threw him over her shoulder. Then she went back to tackling Jean. 

"Chill out!" Bobby tried to use an ice beam to stop her, but was tackled by Daria.

"Hang on sis!" Quinn shouted as she quickly punched out Jubilee. "We got your back!" Then she tackled Remy. 

Rahnee changed into wolf form only to be tackled by Brittany. "DOGGY!" She shouted happily. 

"Cut that…OWWWWW!" Kurt yelped as Claudius bit onto his tail and hung on. 

"Get off me you little twit!" Rahnee changed back to her human form and tried to wrestle Brittany off her, without any success. 

Soon nearly all the X-Men were brawling with Althea and her sisters. Kurt was trying to pry Claudius off his tail. Falcon and Jinx tried to break up the fight only to get knocked out accidentally by the X-Men. "Aren't you going to do something?" Xavier asked Roadblock.

"Uh…you don't know Althea like I do," Roadblock told him. "She's like dynamite, light her fuse and boy does she fight!" 

"Toad are you going to do something?" Rogue asked, wisely deciding not to get involved. 

"Eventually," Todd grinned. "Right now I'm enjoying the show!" 

"Will you put a stop to this?" Xavier shouted at Shipwreck. 

"Oh let them fight," Shipwreck waved. "It's good for them. They need the exercise." He took a swig of beer and watched the action. "DARIA! NOW THAT WASN'T NICE WHAT YOU DID TO EVAN! YOU KNOW YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO KICK BELOW THE BELT!" 

Jean used her telekinesis to shove Althea away. As she did, Polly dive bombed her and grabbed her hair. "Red Rover, Red Rover let Polly come over!" The bird squawked as it yanked on her hair. 

"Stop it!" Jean screamed, forgetting her concentration and ignoring Althea. "Stop it! Get it out of my hair! Get it out!"

"I'd help but I kind of have problems of my own!" Kurt yelped. "Claudius let go of me!" 

"Thanks Polly!" Althea slugged Jean again. 

"Oh no you don't!" Jubilee shouted. 

Jubilee threw her fireworks at Althea who dodged them easily. Instead they hit a rosebush behind her. "Uh oh," Shipwreck blanched. "I just remembered where we buried the dynamite!" 

The rosebush started to sparkle and burst into flames. "This is not good!" Kitty gulped. 

"I got it Pop!" Althea used her powers to make the water from the pool rise into a huge tidal wave. It washed out the flames as well as the X-Men. 

"What have I gotten us into?" Xavier put his head into his hands. 


	63. Morning Melodrama

**Morning Melodrama**

"She slugged Jean in the eye?" Logan asked Jinx. "You're kidding?" 

"I swear it's true," Jinx sighed. "Before we knew it all the Delgato kids were taking on the X-Men. And let me tell you something, the X-Men never knew what hit them." 

"They were all in a brawl?" Logan gasped. 

"All except Rogue and Toad," She said. "Apparently they were the only ones smart enough to stay out of it!" 

"I can't believe the team lost to five kids!" Logan shook his head.

"Five kids who happened to be trained ninjas as well as slightly psychotic," Jinx told him. "Well four of them anyway. And the X-Men were holding back because they were afraid of hurting the kids. I mean you can't exactly expect Kurt to hurt a one year old with flippers."

"Well that I understand," Logan groaned. "Chuck was right, the X-Men need better training."

"Don't be too hard on them," Jinx said. "Let's face it, Althea and her sisters are like berzerkers when they fight. Come from a long line of scrappers and bar room brawlers." 

They entered the cafeteria. The X-Men were at one table glaring at Todd and the Delgato siblings. (With the exception of Claudius. He was with his father back home.) Jean had a black eye. Kurt had a bandage on his tail. "Oh this is gonna be a fun two weeks," Logan sighed. "So much for teaching these kids how to get along."

"Don't worry about it," Jinx said. "It's not like stuff like this hasn't happened on our base before. A lot of times new recruits fight amongst each other until they learn to get along. They usually grow out of it." 

"You calling me a cheat?" A loud voice shouted.

"You are a cheat!" A second voice shouted. Everyone turned their attention to two large men who looked ready to break each other in half. 

"Then again some never grow out of it," Jinx sighed. 

Two Joes were glaring at each other. A tough Marine named Leatherneck and an equally tough and stubborn Navy SEAL named Wet Suit were staring each other down. "For the last time you cannot use all blank letters to spell out a word in Scrabble!" Leatherneck shouted.

"Well then you can't use a dictionary to look up every single word!" Wet Suit shouted. 

"Can too!"

"Can not!"

"You want a knuckle sandwich!" Leatherneck snapped. 

"Are they always like this?" Logan gaped as he saw several Joes tear them apart.

"Unfortunately," Jinx sighed. "But don't let that fool you. They really are good friends."

"With friends like that who needs enemies?" Logan wondered.

Speaking of enemies….

"I can't believe how we got our butts kicked yesterday," Bobby grumbled.

"Well that wasn't a real fight anyway," Jean said. "I mean we couldn't really attack the little kids with our full strength."

"Yeah well you didn't do too well against Althea," Rogue pointed out. "And you weren't exactly holding back!" 

"Hey I didn't see you helping us!" Jean snapped.

"It your big mouth that started the fight in the first place!" Rogue snapped back.

"Cut it out you two!" Scott snapped. "We shouldn't be fighting each other!"

"He's right," Kitty glared at Todd and Althea. "We have problems enough with those jerks!" 

"I can't believe we're stuck with them for a whole two weeks," Kurt grumbled. "What did we do to deserve this?" 

Back at the Delgato table: 

"What did we do to deserve this?" Althea snapped glaring at the X-Men. "The last thing I wanna do is train with some stuck up hero wanna bes!" 

"Now you know why I hate them!" Todd snapped. "They were always looking down their noses on the Brotherhood. Just cause they had a fancy mansion and training and stuff."

"Yeah well now they're playing on our level!" Daria said.

"That's right!" Brittany said. "Let's just see how well they do with our training!" 

"Boy are they in for a shock," Quinn snickered. 

"You're right!" Althea said. "It's time those guys got knocked down a peg or two. And just in case the training doesn't do it, I've got a few ideas of my own."

"What?" Todd asked.

"In due time," Althea snickered. 

Not far away at another table Xavier was having coffee and breakfast with Hawk and Duke. "General I don't wish to complain," Xavier looked at his breakfast. "I mean I've heard of green eggs and ham, but purple eggs and ham?"

"That's BA for you," Duke grumbled. "Our insane cook we picked up from the bottom of the ocean." 

"Don't worry its just dye," Hawk said. "You get used to it. It's when he tries new recipes you have to watch out for." 

"Especially ones that have to do with seaweed," Duke groaned. 

"Seaweed?" Xavier looked at him.

"Like I said, he's from the bottom of the ocean," Duke told him. "He used to be a cook on a Cobra sub until he was abandoned and left for dead. Judging by his cooking it's not hard to understand why!" 

"He managed to survive by creating a generator that made oxygen as well as electricity in the abandoned sub. As well as building an army of battle android troopers to harvest and tend to his seaweed garden as well as getting fish," Hawk told him. 

"Interesting," Xavier took a sip of coffee. 

"Yeah you pick up a lot of interesting survival tips when you're left under the sea for over a year," Duke said. "Like this coffee for instance. I think this is the best batch of seaweed coffee he's made yet." 

"Seaweed coffee?" Xavier blinked. "This coffee is made out of seaweed?"

"That does explain the green streak in it," Hawk said. 

"Um Hawk I want to ask you something," Xavier said. "Isn't it traditional for bases to play Reverie in the morning?" 

"Oh yeah," Hawk told him. "But every now and then we like to mix it up. You know, make it a little less routine around here."

"That explains why I heard Little Richard at five o clock this morning," Xavier said. 

"Here comes Beach Head," Duke motioned. A ranger in a green ski mask stormed up to their table. "He's not happy."

"Is he ever?" Hawk groaned. 

"Okay what's all this I hear about those kids staying on the base?" Beach Head snapped. "What is this? An army base or day care?" 

"They're not gonna stay here forever Beach Head," Hawk said.

"That's what you said about the penguins!" Beach Head snapped.

"Penguins?" Xavier looked at Duke. 

"Don't ask," Duke sighed. 

"Look it's only for two weeks Beach Head I promise," Hawk told him.

"Fine," BeachHead grumbled. "Is that seaweed coffee? You know that's the only thing BA can cook decently!" 

"Help yourself," Xavier groaned. 

Two men walked by following a woman. "She's sitting with me Dusty!" One snapped.

"No she is not! She is sitting with me! And that's final Cross-Country!" Dusty snapped. "Tell him Cover Girl!" 

"You two keep this up and I'm not gonna be sitting with either of you!" Cover Girl snapped. 

"What the…?" Xavier watched the exchange.

"Oh those two Joes are the latest pair to argue over Cover Girl," Duke said. "I've got five bucks that says she'll pick Dusty."

"No way Cross-Country is more her type!" Jinx and Logan came over. 

"Five will get you ten that she dumps both of them for some new guy!" Beach Head said. 

"You're on!" Hawk said. "Xavier wanna get in on this?" 

"Um…" Xavier started to say something when he felt something tap at his shoe. He looked down and saw a penguin trying to eat his shoelaces. 

"Oh great!" Hawk grumbled. "Mitzi got loose again! A while back Iceberg brought some penguins on base to hold onto for a friend of his." 

"Now we have a penguin preserve," Jinx snickered.

"Mitzi!" Todd started to chase after the penguin with glee. "Come on Mitzi!"

"Will you cut that out?" Kitty started chasing Todd. "Don't tease her!" 

"Somebody get that penguin out of here!" Beach Head shouted. 

"Okay Logan when you first told me that the Joes were different than other military units," Xavier cringed. "I didn't really believe you. Now I do." 


	64. Time For Training

**Time For Training**

"All right! Move it out! Move it! Move it!" Roadblock shouted as the kids went through the obstacle course. "Come on get the lead out!" He and Beach Head were supervising the students. They had just finished some exercises and now they were getting down to the main training. 

The X-Men, Todd and Althea were on the obstacle course, which seemed pretty basic with swinging logs and tires. Not as fancy as the Danger Room, but it did have it's surprises. The triplets were doing other exercises not that far away. Leading the pack to everyone's surprise was Scott, Althea and Todd. The others were straggling behind. The others were moving behind at a slower pace. Mainly because of the mud they had to run through. 

"Yuck! This is disgusting!" Kitty grumbled, as they had to crawl under a short stack of barbed wire.

"My uniform is already filthy!" Jean groaned. 

"What's the matter Red?" Althea sneered. "Afraid of a little mud?" 

"Less talking! More working!" Roadblock shouted. "Move it! Keep going! We are gonna do this until you all get it right! About five or six times ought to do it!" 

Actually it was more like seven. They all finished covered with mud and dirt. "Look at this!" Jubilee groaned. 

"Look at the bright side," Todd quipped. "You're getting a mud treatment for free. Most people have to pay hundreds of bucks for them."

"Hey maybe you're content to wallow in the mud you pig," Jubilee snapped. "But we're not!"

"Yeah our uniforms weren't made for this type of stuff!" Bobby snapped. 

"My fur is going to take forever to clean," Kurt groaned. 

"I have never heard of such a bunch of prima donnas in all my life!" Althea snapped. 

"Yeah you think you're to good to do this?" Todd snapped.

"All right! Shut up!" Beach Head snapped. "Unless you all wanna do that again five more times?" 

"He's right," Roadblock said. "No one got hurt because of a little dirt. Now let's take a little walk over to the training grounds shall we?" 

"They should be running," Beach Head snapped. 

"Don't worry Beach Head they will be," Roadblock told him. "It's only a few feet away anyway." 

The students looked at all the tanks and vehicles as they made their way to the training area. "Hey can we learn how to drive a tank?" Bobby asked.

"Are you nuts?" Beach Head snapped. "These are highly sophisticated pieces of government machinery! Not to mention classified! What do you think we just let anybody drive them?" 

"Hey Beach Head!" Bazooka called out as he drove by in one. "Where are the breaks on this thing? Maybe this one?" 

Immediately a missile launched and blew up a pile of crates. "Oopsie," He said. "Sorry about that! Out of the way!" 

CRASH!

"Okay I know that's not good," Bazooka said. 

Beach Head stared at the insanity before him. "Is this afternoon good for you?" He asked Bobby. 

"All right pipe down!" Roadblock shouted. Standing next to him was Jinx and a black man wearing sunglasses and carrying a cane. "Here comes phase number two! You'll all be a lot stronger when we're through with you! This here is the man with the plan. We call him the Blind Master!"

"Why do you call him that?" Evan asked.

"Because he's a blind ninja master, duh!" Todd snapped. 

"All right!" Roadblock snapped. "This man will teach you how to fight." 

"That's true," The Blind Master smiled. "Now the first thing to do now that you're all warmed up is get to the real exercise. You are all going to run a mile. That's four laps around this track." 

"Well that ought to be a piece of cake," Bobby snapped.

"I haven't finished," Blind Master said. "You'll all be running while wearing these," He held up some weights. "Jinx, help strap them to their arms and legs." 

"Man how much do these things weigh?" Evan groaned.

"Only ten pounds each," Jinx said.

"That's forty pounds!" Kitty snapped.

"Very good! You can add," Roadblock quipped. 

"A mile with these on us?" Rahnee yelped. 

"You've got to be kidding me!" Kurt groaned. "I can't even lift my arms!" 

"You get used to them," Todd explained. "Of course Althea and I don't get those!"

"That's not fair!" Jubilee snapped.

"We get the heavier weights you moron," Althea snapped. "That fair enough for you?" 

"How much are their weights?" Kurt asked.

"Fifteen for Wavedancer's," Jinx said. "Toad has fifteen on his arms and twenty on each of his legs." 

"It's cause my legs are stronger," Todd explained. "Of course the Triplets only get five pounds, cause they're still pretty young." 

"Now hustle," The Blind Master told them. "GO! GO! GO!" 

"This is torture!" Evan whined. "I'm a city kid! They don't do training like this in the real army!" 

"No this is a special program put together just for us," Althea told him, running by him easily. Soon Todd, Althea and the Triplets were ahead of the pack. Of course Todd was hopping more than running.

"Does Toad even know how to run?" Kurt snapped. "I've never seen him run! Have you?" 

"It's just the way I move!" Todd snapped over his shoulder. "I can't help it!"

"You can't help it if they're weak," Althea teased.

"Okay that's it!" Scott shouted. "Let's get them!" He and the others put on a burst of extra speed, but to no avail. After the mile was over they collapsed in one big heap on the ground. "Okay. New plan. We'll get them later." 

"Good idea," Jubilee groaned. "As soon as I get some feeling in my body again." 

"Not bad," Roadblock said. "Good hustle. Next time I want to see you all go faster."

"Faster?" Bobby moaned.

"I don't even know if I'll be able to crawl again let alone run," Rahnee moaned. 

"Okay take five," The Blind Master said. "You've earned it."

"Five years," Evan groaned. "Yeah right. That's fine." 

Todd chuckled. "Hey I'm a bit tired too, but otherwise I'm fine. Boy you guys really are weak are you?" 

"Toad remind me to punch your lights out as soon as I get some feeling in my arms back," Scott snapped. "If I ever get any feeling in my arms again." 

"That's enough you two," Jinx gave him some water and helped him remove the weights. "Now drink up and rehydrate." 

"Oh this is so good!" Kitty sighed. They rested and drank for a while. 

"All right!" The Blind Master said. "Break time's over! Now the real training begins!" 

"Oh goody," Kurt stood up wobbly. "I can hardly wait." 

They went into a building that served as the Joes' fighting area. "All right, here I am going to be judging your fighting skills," The Blind Master told them.

"How can he judge our skills if he can't even see us?" Bobby whispered to Evan. 

"I have excellent hearing Iceman," The Blind Master said. Bobby blushed with embarrassment. "Plus I can sense several things that you cannot. And Jinx will be watching what's going on."

"Finally some action," Bobby rubbed his hands together. 

"It's time we show what we X-Men are made of!" Remy said.

"Yeah and show some people that they don't need smoke bombs and tricks to fight," Jean glared at Althea. 

"You want another black eye Jean?" Althea snapped. 

"Fine," The Blind Master said. "Let's see how well you fight in hand to hand combat. Jean…Wavedancer, you two are up first."

"With pleasure," Jean growled. They both got into the ring. "I'll try to go easy on you."

"Now remember," Jinx called out. "No powers. Just skill." 

"Not a problem," Althea glared at Jean.

"I'm ready," Jean said. 

"Go!" Jinx called out. 

Jean grabbed Althea. "Don't feel too bad when you lose," Jean said. "I've been trained by Logan for the past year." 

"Oh really? I've been trained by ninjas ever since I could walk!" Althea smiled before she threw Jean down. A few punches made sure she stayed down. 

"Next!" Althea crowed. 

"Okay Gambit, your turn!" Jinx said. Logan had come in during the first fight. 

"Not bad," Remy nodded at Althea. "Now let's see how you do against a master thief! HA!" He leapt forward and flipped over her. 

However Althea knew that maneuver as well and before Remy could react her foot found his jaw. He went down quickly. "Pretty well actually," Althea smirked. "Next victim!" 

"Remy!" Rogue went into the ring and helped him up. "Are you okay?" 

"Yes Grandmere," Remy said in a dazed voice. "I am eating all my vegetables." 

"Hey uh, maybe you ought to rethink that rule about not letting the X-Geeks use their powers," Todd snickered. 

"Maybe you ought to just shut up!" Scott snapped as he stepped into the ring. Two seconds later he was flat on his back thanks to a punch. 

"You were saying?" Todd snickered. 

"Who's next?" Jinx asked.

"Are you kidding?" Evan blanched. 

"No way I'm going in there!" Rogue said.

"Yeah we know when we're outclassed," Rahnee grumbled.

"Nice to hear you finally admit it," Todd sneered. 

"Hey I'll go against you any day Tolensky!" Evan snapped.

"Bring it on Daniels!" Todd snarled. 

"That's enough! I'll fight her!" 

They all looked over. "You Mr. Logan?" Kitty blinked.

"All right!" Althea grinned. "Finally a real challenge!"

"Okay let's see how well you do with me," Logan smirked. "Time to go to school little girl." 

"I'm always ready for an education," Althea smiled. Soon the two were going at it. 

"Whoa," Rogue blinked. "She is good. She actually hit him a couple of times."

"Yeah but Mr. Logan's way faster!" Kitty said in awe. "Go Wolverine!" 

Although Althea put up a furious fight, Logan was obviously the superior fighter. Soon Althea was knocked down on her butt. "YES!" The X-Men cheered. 

"Hey," Logan held out a hand to help her up. "No hard feelings kid?"

"Are you kidding?" Althea got up. "That was the best training I had in a long time! Now I have to work twice as hard if I'm gonna beat you someday!" 

"Now that's the attitude I like," Logan smirked. "Hey Jinx can I see you for a sec?" They walked to the door. "Are they looking now"

"No why?" She asked. 

"Good," Logan then winced. "Ow…" 

"She hurt you huh?" Jinx looked at him.

"Yeah," He grimaced. "Nothing serious. But let's just say if we have a rematch a few years from now…I'm not so sure of my chances." 

"Okay now let's see how the rest of you fight," Blind Master told them. "Let's see, Shadowcat you and Wolfsbane are paired up first, then Spyke and Nightcrawler, followed by Rogue and Jubilee and finally Iceman and Toad." 

"This is gonna be good," Bobby snickered.

"You got that right," Todd glared. 

"Careful Iceman," Scott said. "Even without using his powers, Toad's pretty strong. Watch out for his legs!" 

"Ha!" Got into the ring. "Don't worry! This will be a piece of cake!"

THUD! 

Bobby had hit the floor in three seconds. "You got that right," Todd snickered.

"I told you to watch out for his legs," Scott groaned. 

The other students did pretty well against each other. Rogue, Kitty and Kurt won their matches. "Not bad for the first day," The Blind Master told them. "All right, now that I know what you all are capable of or in some cases not capable of, we can start your training in earnest. Tomorrow I'll split you up into groups for training. That's all for today!" 

"Good," Kitty slumped against the wall and slid down to the floor. "Because I am like totally exhausted. 

"Me too," Kurt groaned. 

"Man that was fun," Althea said.

"Toad you have one sick twisted girlfriend," Remy groaned. 

"Hey it's not my fault you guys can't fight," Althea pointed out.

"Oh yeah," Kitty snapped. "Well you didn't do that great against Mr. Logan Miss Ninja!" 

"Oh?" Todd looked at them. "And what's the longest any of you have lasted against him? Two? Three minutes tops?" 

"Point taken," Kitty grumbled. "Do we rest now?"

"No," Althea said. "Now we get cleaned up and go to class." 

"Hallelujah," Remy groaned. "I never thought I'd ever be happy to go to class!" 

Soon they showered and cleaned up. To their surprise there was more. 

"This feels like heaven," Kurt sighed as he was massaged. Roadblock and the Blind Master were massaging them. They had been able to get cleaned up first and got the first treatments. Kurt had never had a real massage before. The Blind Master's hands were strong and adept at removing the pain and tension from his sore muscles. "I could almost go to sleep right now." 

"Told you this wasn't so bad," Todd told him. 

"You get this every day?" Kurt sighed. "This does make it worthwhile." 

"It's a special program," Roadblock explained. "Part army, part ninja training, part our own program. The results have been very promising with Todd and Althea." 

"Jinx and Bree our nurse are doing the girls," Roadblock told them. 

Suddenly a loud scream could be heard. "What the heck?" Roadblock blinked. "They're not that bad at this!" 

"WAVEDANCER!" Jean's voice shouted. 

"Oh no," Roadblock groaned. 

Althea walked in. "Gee what's her problem?"

"Althea!" Todd whined, trying to cover himself even more with an extra towel. 

"You know you ain't supposed to be here!" Roadblock snapped. 

"Oh for crying out loud they're not totally naked," Althea waved. "Besides its not like I haven't seen my Toddles before!"

"Toddles?" Kurt blinked. 

"Althea not my pet name," Todd hid his face in his hands. "You promised not to do that in front of people!" 

"WHERE IS SHE?" Jean stormed in wearing a bathrobe, still wet. 

"Why don't you just come on in Jean?" Kurt grumbled.

"You changed the water temperature in my shower didn't you?" Jean snapped at Althea. 

"I did no such thing!" Althea snapped. "I can't control the temperature of the water using my powers! You probably had a defective showerhead or something! Don't blame me for your bad luck!" 

"Its true," Roadblock sighed. "She doesn't do that Jean. NOW GET OUT OF HERE!" 

"Touchy, touchy," Althea muttered as they were ushered out. Althea waited for Todd to come out. "So how did you do it?"

"Do what?" Althea smiled innocently. "I did nothing." 

"I told you it would work," Daria came out with a small device in her hands. "Just a little turn of this dial and voila! Instant insanity!" She turned the dial again. Several more screams could be heard. 

"Very clever," Todd smiled. 

"Well I did tell the truth," Althea smirked. "I didn't do it." 

************************************************************************

Not long after Hawk found Roadblock relaxing in the rec. room. 

"Well how are they doing Roadblock?" Hawk asked. "I know Day One was a disaster so there has got to be some improvements today." 

"So far so good," Roadblock sighed. "I mean the kids haven't killed each other yet today. Maybe they got it all out of their systems yesterday?" 

"I hope so," Falcon sighed. 

"Where are they now?" Hawk asked.

"Well they're now at class," Roadblock sighed. "Just the basic History, English and Math today." 

"Who did you get to teach them?" Hawk asked. "Jinx? Gung Ho? Bazooka?" 

"Nope," Roadblock grinned.

"Then who?" Hawk asked. 

************************************************************************

"All right everybody put your pencils down!" Beach Head snapped. "Why do I let people talk me into these things?" 

"Because you have such a kind and gentle heart," Althea snickered.

"Very funny," Beach Head grumbled. "Okay who wants to read their stupid essay first?" 

"Me!" Todd rose his hand enthusiastically. He was the only one. 

"Anybody?" Beach Head looked around. "How about you Jean?"

"Well my essay is entitled 'Hope for Peace'," Jean started.

"Oh god forget I said that!" Beach Head groaned. "Anybody else?" 

"Ooh! Ooh!" Todd rose his hand and nearly jumped out of his seat. "Pick me! Pick me!" 

"All right how about you Spyke?" Beach Head asked.

"Mine's titled '101 Reasons Why I Hate It Here'," Evan said. "Number one, living with Toad!" 

"Lists are not essays Spyke!" Beach Head snapped. "They don't count."

"Well they should," Evan grumbled. 

"Does any one of you have an actual essay with a halfway decent topic?" Beach Head looked around, ignoring Todd. "How about you Shadowcat?"

"What am I invisible?" Todd snapped. 

"Mine's entitled 'Heartbreak'," Kitty said.

"Oh no!" Rogue groaned. "It's another long rant about Avalanche, her insane boyfriend!"

"Ex-boyfriend!" Kitty snapped. "The fact that he ran off and left me puts him in that category!"

"Well he didn't exactly have much of a choice you know," Todd spoke up. 

"Are you defending him?" Kitty snapped. 

"No I just…" Todd started.

"Never mind!" Beach Head snarled. "Anyone else have an essay? Please? Oh all right Toad you might as well read yours." 

"Ahem," Todd stood up and cleared his throat. "Mine is titled, 'Why the American Army is the Greatest in the World.'" 

"Oh for crying out loud!" Jean snapped.

"Shut up Jean!" Beach Head snapped. "Finally one of you has a decent topic. Go ahead Toad." 

"Why is the American Army so great?" Todd read. "Because it is filled with dedicated men and women who give their lives every day for this country! Especially the Rangers who are the toughest of them all. What makes them so wonderful? The first thing is…" 

"You're not actually buying this are you?" Jean snapped.

"Jean one more outburst like that and it's detention!" Beach Head snapped. "Forget reading it Toad, these people are obviously unappreciative of such fine material. You get a gold star!" 

"Teacher's pet," Jean sneered. Todd stuck his tongue out and blew a raspberry. 

"It's not his fault he knows his audience," Althea pointed out. 

"Just when I thought school could not be any worse," Remy groaned. 

"Hey you could all learn a thing or two from Toad!" Beach Head said. "Did I just really say that?" 

"Learn what? How to be annoying?" Kurt snapped.

"Or stink up the place?" Evan joined in.

"Or cause trouble?" Bobby snapped.

"I think you guys know that lesson pretty well," Todd snapped. "You ain't exactly perfect either you know! Remember the time you guys experimented with Fuzzy's teleportation powers and let loose those Jurassic Park wannabes at the dance?" 

"Yeah at least we never stole from anybody!" Kurt snapped.

"I did that to survive!" Todd's face flushed. "And I don't take money anymore!"

"Interesting choice of words," Beach Head grumbled. 

"Well what were you doing when you and the Brotherhood trashed the soccer game?" Bobby snapped. 

"Hey! Well as long as we're dredging up the past, I never took joyrides in the X-Jet!" Todd snapped.

"No just the spaceship!" Beach Head said.

"WHAT?" Evan and Bobby said at the same time. 

"What's this about a spaceship?" Jubilee asked. 

"Uh nothing," Todd said. "It's classified!"

"Oh you might as well tell them!" Beach Head snapped. "We have a spaceship hidden on the base. A ways back these two took it out on joyride!" He pointed to Todd and Althea.

"This spaceship wouldn't happen to be a silver would it?" Evan growled. 

"Well now that you mention it, yeah," Beach Head said. "Why?" 

"Uh oh," Todd gulped.

"That was you?" Bobby screamed. 

"You mean to tell me you guys are the ones responsible for nearly knocking them into a mountain?" Scott shouted. 

"You guys nearly killed us!" Evan snapped.

"We were nearly pancake!" Rahnee growled.

"It ain't our fault you guys are such bad drivers!" Althea snapped.

"That was not the right thing to say," Todd gulped as the X-Men started getting ready for a fight.

"I wonder how the kids are doing?" Roadblock asked aloud. He and Falcon were walking the hallways towards the classroom. 

BOOOM!

"Does that answer your question?" Falcon said as they raced down the hall. 

"What in the…?" Roadblock ran in the classroom and saw all the kids going at it like crazy. "Not again! STOP IT! STOP IT!"

Beach Head crawled out from under the fighting students. "Beach Head what happened?" Falcon asked. 

"Mommy?" Beach Head moaned and passed out. 

"So much for starting over," Roadblock moaned. 


	65. Can't We All Just Get Along?

**Can't We All Just Get Along?**

"What the hell is the matter with all of you?" Beach Head snapped, holding a cold ice pack to his head. "Can't you little hooligans not kill each other for one day?"

"Don't swear at them," Xavier said. He and Logan had come in after the fight had been broken up. "What happened?"

"They attacked us," Todd snapped. "That's what happened!" 

"Only because you provoked us!" Kitty snapped.

"Professor they're the ones who nearly caused us to crash into that mountain!" Evan snapped. 

"Like I said if you were better pilots…" Althea continued. 

"That's it!" Jean snapped. She was held back by the others. "Let me at her!" 

"I think we should have a talk with your father about this," Xavier looked at Althea.

"Good luck," Beach Head groaned. 

"Of course this wouldn't have happened if you kept your aircraft on better lock and key," Xavier muttered. 

"Excuse me?" Beach Head looked at him. "This wasn't our fault! It was an accident. Besides I seem to remember hearing about how you X-Men had some joyriding problems of your own!" 

"You tell 'em Beach Head!" Althea said. 

"That's enough!" Roadblock snapped. "You all going at each other ain't right! I think some KP duty tomorrow morning will teach all of you not to fight!" 

"I think we should really have a talk with your father right now young lady," Xavier looked at Althea. "And maybe also look into having more competent teachers for all of you." 

"WHAT?" Beach Head snapped. Roadblock held him back. 

"I meant someone who isn't more interested promoting the military ideology instead of the children's education," Xavier said. 

"Why don't we go to main office and settle down a bit?" Falcon said. They left except for Todd and Beach Head. 

"I do not believe this!" Beach Head snapped. 

"Whatsa matter Beach Head?" Todd asked.

"Those X-Men that's what!" 

"Oh," Todd's eyes narrowed. "**Them**." 

"Yeah them," Beach Head spat. "Bunch of overgrown Girl Scouts posing as soldiers."

"Yeah they think they're so great!" Todd snapped. 

"We have powers," Beach Head said sarcastically. "Big whoop! Well we have missiles but we don't lording it over people and giving them lectures!" 

"Tell me about it!" Todd snapped. "Always playing goodie goods. Think they are the sweethearts of America!"

"More like Fantasyland!" Beach Head snapped. "Who do they think they are to lecture us on military tactics? We've been doing it this way without powers for years and we've been doing all right!" 

"Yeah!" Todd said. "You tell it like it is!"

"They wanna work with humans huh?" Beach Head snapped. "Well the first thing they should learn is to stop acting so god damned superior about it!" 

"What a bunch of hypocrites!" Todd said.

"You got that right!" Beach Head said. "Take that red head over there."

"Please do!" Todd snapped.

"Thinks this is a Miss Popularity contest," Beach Head grumbled.

"Do you know she's actually reminded her teachers that they forgot to give out homework?" Todd said.

"I am not surprised," Beach Head said. "Tattletale! I hate them!"

"I hate them too!" Todd looked up at him. "You know, this is the first time the two of us ever agreed on anything!"

"Yeah," Beach Head looked at him. "Let's not make a habit out of it, shall we?" 

************************************************************************

"So how long have they been in there?" Beach Head asked Falcon. They were outside Hawk office. Xavier and Logan were in there with Shipwreck. 

"A few minutes," Falcon said. The other students were outside as well waiting. 

"WHAT YOU'RE JUST GOING TO LET HER GET AWAY WITH THIS?" Xavier shouted, just as Shipwreck opened the door to leave. 

"What do you want me to do Charley?" Shipwreck asked. "Ground her? She lives on an army base for crying out loud. Anyway she's already been punished for that incident."

"So that's it?" Xavier looked at him. "You're just going to let her get away with it?"

"Ever hear of double jeopardy?" Shipwreck snapped. "You can't be punished twice for the same crime. But if you're so intent on something I'll do it. Althea, don't ever buzz the X-Jet in the spaceship again." He turned back to Xavier. "Happy?" 

"Don't you have any sense of discipline at all?" Xavier asked. "If she was at the Institute…" 

"Well she ain't at the Institute!" Shipwreck snapped. 

"With all due respect," Falcon intervened. "Shipwreck's the only reason that this base is still standing."

"Yeah you can only do so much against genetics," Beach Head said. 

"Of course you of all people should know that," Shipwreck snickered at Xavier. 

"Obviously you don't understand the seriousness of this," Xavier said in an extremely calm voice. "Althea has great power but she needs to learn control. I'm just suggesting that she needs more help. Perhaps if she spent time at the Institute…" 

"Hey don't you dare talk to me in that tone of voice you condescending jerk!" Shipwreck snapped. "She don't need that fancy Institute of yours! She's fine right where she is! Don't think I haven't noticed how you and your little student squad have been looking down your noses at us ever since you got here!"

"I have said no such thing to indicate that," Xavier looked at him.

"You didn't have to," Shipwreck snapped. "You think just because you have money and powers that gives you the right to act like the Lord of all Mutants! I heard all about that little 'audition' you gave Toad and how you tend to only pick the so called cream of the crop."

"That's not true," Xavier frowned. "I try to help all mutants!" 

"Is it?" Shipwreck snapped. "What about when Mystique abandoned the Brotherhood huh? You didn't exactly go running over there to help them out did you?"

"I made an offer to the Brotherhood but they refused," Xavier spat.

"Oh yeah," Shipwreck said. "Two weeks after it was clear Mystique dumped 'em you wrote them a letter. A letter? Why didn't you just sign it in gold and have a messenger read it? Of course they refused it! I'd refuse a pity handout too!"

"Well what should I have done Mr. Know it all?" Xavier snapped. "I suppose I should have forced my way in with a bazooka? Chained myself to their door?"

"If that's what it would have taken, yes!" Shipwreck snapped. "They're kids! They have no clue what they need! You were always complaining how much trouble the Brotherhood cause! Of course they're gonna cause trouble left unsupervised!" 

"Well you should know about that," Xavier snapped.

"Watch it Charley!" Shipwreck snapped.

"My name is Charles," Xavier spat. "Not Charley! Not Chuck!" 

"Oh well aren't we all high and mighty? You just like to be called Charles because it sounds more classier." 

"Well then we have very different points of view," Xavier said. "What you call class, I call manners. Obviously you have little experience with both of them as evidenced by your offspring." 

"Oh yeah," Shipwreck glared. "Well now that I do know next time when Althea's flying around in that spaceship, we won't buzz you. Next time I'll have her fire the missiles on you!" 

"Oh very mature!" Xavier snapped. "Just the type of barbaric response I've come to expect from people like you!"

"Oh really?" Shipwreck snapped. "Listen Baldy, it's people like me that keep people like you safe in your nice warm mansions with all your fancy smancy art all around you! Who do you think keeps the elements that threaten this country at bay? Bill Gates?"

"As far as I'm concerned you are the element that threatens this country!" Xavier snapped. 

"Listen pal," Shipwreck fumed. "You're just lucky you're in that wheelchair!"

"Don't let that stop you jack!" Xavier shouted. He then proceeded to roll over Shipwreck's toe. 

"YEOOOWWWW!" Shipwreck hopped up and down on one foot. "THAT'S IT! LET ME AT HIM! LEMMIE AT HIM!" He was held back by several people.

"Bring it on!" Xavier snapped. He was being held back by Logan and Scott. 

"CHUCK HAVE YOU FLIPPED YOUR LID?" Logan shouted. 

"Professor stop it!" Scott shouted.

"And they want us to control ourselves?" Althea quipped.

"Hey you shut up!" Rogue snapped.

"Make me!" Althea snapped.

"With pleasure!" Rogue took off one of her gloves. "The gloves are off sister!" 

"Rogue don't!" Remy grabbed her. Unfortunately he grabbed her unprotected hand. 

"Remy!" Rogue shouted as he fell down unconscious. "Now look what you made me do!" She grabbed Remy's cards and started to charge them. 

"Oh no…" Falcon groaned. "Run for it!" 

General Hawk walked down to his office. He had just taken an extra long lunch and was about to get some paperwork done. Then he heard the explosion. He ran to his office only to find several students arguing….

And his office had a huge hole in the wall. What was left of it anyway. "MY OFFFICE! WHAT HAPPENED TO MY OFFICE?" Hawk screamed. 

"THEY DID IT!" Todd pointed to the X-Men. "ALTHEA AND I WERE GOOD! BUT THEY WERE PICKING ON US AND THEN XAVIER CALLED SHIPWRECK A BAD PARENT AND THEN ROGUE GOT MAD AND BLEW THE PLACE UP!" 

"TATTLETALE!" Kitty pounced on Toad. They were all starting to fight again.

**"EVERYONE SHUT UP !!!!!!" **Hawk screamed. He glared at all of them. "Now slowly, Beach Head, what happened?" 

"What happened?" Beach Head put his hands on his hips and looked at Todd and Althea. "I'll tell you what happened. Everything Toad said was true! It's all their fault!" 

"WHAT?" Logan roared and tackled Beach Head. Once again everyone started arguing. 

Twenty minutes and several security guards later Hawk, Roadblock, and Beach Head were sitting around what was left of Hawk's office. "Well let's review today shall we?" Hawk groaned. "We had several fights, a wrecked classroom and my office is destroyed. Not to mention human-mutant relations took a serious beating today. And now Toad and Wavedancer want to kill the X-Men more than ever and vice versa." 

"And it's only day one," Roadblock groaned. "This is gonna be so much fun!"

"You know I am having a new appreciation for Toad and Wavedancer," Beach Head said. "They may be nuts but at least they ain't stuck up! Why are we doing this again?" 

"Something about teaching the kids about getting along with other people. I don't know," Hawk groaned. 

"You think today was dumb," Roadblock sighed. "Wait until tomorrow when the new kids come." 

"The next two weeks are gonna be hell aren't they?" Beach Head moaned. 


	66. Tomorrow Will Be Better, Right?

**Tomorrow Will Be Better, Right?**

"Great!" Scott grumbled as the X-Men went to their quarters. "Now we're all on KP duty tomorrow morning!"

"Scott right now that's not what worries me," Jean pointed to Xavier. "I've never seen him lose it like that before!" 

"Professor are you okay?" Scott asked. "Look I'm sorry things got out of control there but…"

"Scott you have nothing to apologize for," Xavier told him. "Believe me!" 

"Huh?" Scott blinked. 

"You know something Scott," Xavier said. "Now I finally understand why you and the other students used to get in fights with the Brotherhood so many times! It has nothing to do with control. It has to do with how much the other guy annoys you! And boy does Shipwreck annoy me!" 

"Chuck not in front of the kids," Logan said. 

"No, I take it back!" Xavier ranted. "He doesn't just annoy me. He drives me up the wall! The man is a lunatic! A nutcase! An undisciplined maniac! I hate him! I hate him!"

"Chuck get a hold of yourself!" Logan snapped.

"IhatehimIhatehimIhatehim," Xavier fumed.

"Chuck snap out of it!" Logan slapped him.

Xavier sat there dazed. "Thank you Logan," He finally said. "I needed that." 

"Professor I've never seen you like this," Scott said shocked.

"I've never been ticked off like this!" Xavier grumbled. "I'm sorry I lost control like that but that Shipwreck pushes my buttons unlike anyone has ever pushed them before!" 

"Yeah he does seem to have that talent," Logan scratched his head. 

"So that's where his kids get it from," Rogue said. 

"I'm really sorry I lost control in front of all of you," Xavier sighed. "I should have been a better example. I mean I can hardly chastise you for fighting with Toad and Wavedancer if I can't even control my temper with Shipwreck." 

"Well now you know those fights weren't our fault!" Evan snapped. "Those guys are evil!" 

"I don't know how we're going to get through these two weeks if this keeps up," Remy groaned.

"Yeah," Kitty sighed. "All of the sudden being stuck at the Institute doesn't seem so bad anymore." 

"I just have to find a way to cope being with Shipwreck," Xavier said. "Just like all of you have to learn to get along with Toad and Wavedancer." 

"Well you can always tinker with his brain a little," Logan quipped.

"I can't do that," Xavier sighed. "In his case even if I wanted to."

"What do you mean?" Jean asked.

"Try going into his mind just for a second and you'll see what I mean," Xavier said. "Trust me, you won't really get far. Other than the emotions he projects, nothing. It's rare, but one out of millions of humans is born naturally shielded to telepathy. And just our luck Shipwreck is one of them! Why was I stuck with that irritating lunatic?" 

"Chuck I thought the point of all of this was to learn how to get along with humans?" Logan snapped. "You're not exactly setting an example you know!" 

"You're right," Xavier sighed. "I'm sorry students. I lost my temper. I should not have allowed Shipwreck to goad me like that."

"Now can we go home?" Evan whined.

"Yeah compared to these guys Wolverine's training is a piece of cake!" Bobby said. 

"With all due respect Professor," Jean sighed. "Maybe we should go. I mean this has been nothing but one disaster after another."

"No way!" Scott said. "Look I'm not crazy about this either but if we go home now, Toad and Wavedancer will never let us live this down! They'll say we couldn't cut it! And I for one am not going to give them that satisfaction!" 

"He's right!" Rogue growled. "I'm not gonna turn tail and run! If the Toad can handle this so can I!" 

"Yeah but can the rest of us survive this?" Kurt groaned. "My arms are gonna be sore for weeks." 

"Well look at it this way Kurt," Bobby said. "Tomorrow the others are gonna arrive. Strength in numbers."

"We already outnumber them and still those Delgatos manage to clean our clocks," Remy grumbled. 

"Yeah well it's not like that matters any," Kitty grumbled. "I mean it's so obvious that they're the favorites around here!" 

"Well if they wanna play teacher's pet then there's no reason we should play by the rules!" Evan snapped.

"Yeah let's show those goody two shoes up once and for all!" Rahnee said.

"YEAH!" They all shouted.

"NO!" Logan groaned. "Chuck will you tell them to cool it? Chuck?"

"I'm thinking it over," Xavier muttered. 

"Oh great," Logan grumbled. "You know there's gonna be trouble when I'm the only one around here with a cool head. Tomorrow's going to be one fun day!" 


	67. Reunions

**Reunions**

"I can't believe we're stuck with KP duty all week," Kitty grumbled as she lugged in another set of plates.

"I can't believe how strict they are," Rogue said as she washed dishes. "I mean us kids are one thing, but **this**?" She looked over at the two people drying the dishes. 

"I can't believe this!" Xavier grumbled as he dried the dishes. "I can understand the students but why do we have to do this?"

"Because we lost our tempers in front of the kids," Shipwreck told him as he also dried them. "Besides we're responsible for whatever trouble they cause."

"You mean they can punish the adults for all the trouble the kids get in?" Scott asked.

"Sometimes," Shipwreck told him. 

"Man that's harsh," Evan said. 

"Well why isn't Roadblock here in that case?" Xavier grumbled. 

"Because he tried to stop you from fighting!" Todd snapped. "Now you know why I try to be good! I don't want to get Roadblock in trouble!" 

"But it's still not fair!" Jean said. "They shouldn't have to hold the Professor accountable for our actions!" 

"The Professor is responsible for you," BA walked in. "Of course they're going to hold him accountable!" 

"I just don't believe this is happening," Xavier groaned. 

"Oh stop complaining," Shipwreck snapped. "Look on the bright side, at least you don't have to wear a hairnet." 

"Man I thought there were a lot of dishes at the mansion," Bobby groaned. The dish he was holding slipped through his fingers and broke on the floor. "Oops!" 

"That's not how you break a dish!" BA snapped. He took a plate and threw it at the wall. "That's how you break a dish! Sheesh! Kids don't know anything these days! Now where did I put that portable flame thrower?" He wandered off. 

"Yeah Professor this was a great idea of yours," Remy said sarcastically. "Train with GI Joe. What could happen?" 

"Give him a break!" Scott snapped. "How was he supposed to know?" 

"Watch it Shades!" Althea snapped. "So the Professor has to dry a few thousand dishes. Big deal! What's wrong with a little parent accountability? Pop could use all he can get!" Althea snapped. 

"You know we'd better tell the others about this when they get here," Scott sighed. "Especially Tabitha." 

"Oh lord I forgot about her," Xavier groaned. 

"Great," Todd groaned. "Just what I need! Another girl who likes to walk in on me while I'm taking a shower." 

"You didn't complain last time," Althea smirked. 

"AGGHH!" Evan screamed. "I do **not** want that picture in my head!" 

"Don't even think about that!" Todd snapped angrily. "Althea's my girl!"

"Not her! You!" Evan snapped. "Oh no! It's in there! Get it out! Get it out! Get it out!" 

"Oh I'll get it out!" Althea said, using her powers to spray Evan with water. "How's that for a cold shower, smart guy?" 

"Stop that!" Remy shouted. Althea turned the water on him. "Okay! Now Gambit mad!" He charged up the dish he was holding and threw it at her. She dodged and it blew up a stack of dishes.

"Oh no!" Xavier groaned. "I just cleaned those! Stop this all of you! Control…AGGGGH!" He screamed when Shipwreck took out water spray from the sink and doused him with water. 

"WATER FIGHT!" Todd cheered as Althea doused the X-Men. 

"Okay! Okay!" BA came in running, his oven mitt on fire. "NOBODY PANIC! THERE'S A SLIGHT KITCHEN FIRE! NOBODY…AGGGH!" A huge wave of water doused him. "Thanks Althea." 

Just as Hawk walked into the cafeteria a loud explosion was heard. "Not again!" He groaned. He saw water flow out of the kitchen and everyone staggered out of it. 

"Let me guess? You blew up the kitchen?" Hawk asked.

"Uh no that was me," BA came out slightly singed. "Sorry. My latest recipe got out of hand." 

"I put it out," Althea smiled. The X-Men glared at her. All of them were soaking wet. 

Jean was about to say something when Remy nudged her. "Don't!" He hissed. "You want the Professor to get punished again?" 

Jean frowned. "No," She grumbled. 

"Fine," Hawk sighed. "Well guess what? The others have arrived. You might as well all go and meet them. You can clean this up later. On the other hand," He looked at the mess inside. "Maybe we'd better get another clean up crew to do it." 

"Great!" Kurt said cheerfully. "Let's go meet them!" He teleported away. The other X-Men went out happily. Todd and Althea looked at each other and followed at a distance. 

"Looks like the gang's all here," Althea pointed out as the X-Men went to meet their fellow teammates. "Oh goody. Reinforcements."

"Ah we can handle them," Todd waved. "Besides, there are one or two people I wanna see." 

"Which one's Boom Boom?" Althea asked. "Her I have to meet." 

"The blond over there. Hey Boom Boom!" Todd waved. "How's it going?"

"TOAD!" Tabitha gave him a crushing hug. "I can't believe how glad I am to see you! When I thought that creep Magneto…Oh I missed you ya little frog!" 

"Hey good to see you too Tabby," Todd smirked. 

Tabitha looked at Althea. "I see you've made a friend here." 

"Name's Althea Delgato," Althea looked at her. " Also known as Wavedancer. And the Toad's girlfriend."

"You're Toad's girl?" Tabitha looked her over. She looked at Todd. "Way to go Froggy!" 

"Just remember that I'm the only one who's allowed to walk in on Toad while he's taking a shower and we'll get along just fine," Althea smiled. 

"I think that's fair," Tabitha smirked. 

Meanwhile Todd had hopped over to the jet. There they were lowering Peter, still in a wheelchair. He was still recovering from Magneto's attack. They had always gotten along. Well as soon as they came together on the same side and stopped fighting each other after the infamous 'Day of Reckoning'. 

"Hey yo Pete!" Todd hopped over and gripped his hand. "How are you doing?" 

"Toad! My old comrade!" Peter smiled. "So Magneto didn't kill you!"

"I could say the same for you," Todd pointed out. "Lucky for us Maggie's aim ain't that good!" Some of the X-Men came over to join them. 

"So you live here now?" Peter looked around.

"Yeah," Todd nodded. "It's fun!"

"You have a strange definition of the word fun," Remy groaned. 

"Peter!" Kitty hugged him. "It's so good to see you!"

"Good to see you too Kitty!" Peter smiled. "I take it you missed me?" 

"Yeah," She looked at him. "So is that everybody?"

"Forge is staying behind with a couple of Joes to help rebuild some of the mansion's defenses," He told her.

"Nothing serious," Hank said. "Just a simple upgrade." 

"So the doctors here are going to help you with your rehabilitation?" Kitty asked. 

"Yes," Peter nodded. "I wish I could get better in time to train with you."

"Trust us on this," Remy groaned. "You're lucky not to!" 

"Why don't we get you checked into your room?" Hank said, taking the wheelchair. "I am anxious to confer with their medic, Lifeline. He seems most knowledgeable on mutant matters." 

"Okay," Kitty kissed Peter on the cheek. "See you later! I gotta talk to the others!" 

Remy moved off to say hello to some other students. As Hank wheeled Peter away, Kitty moved off to talk to someone. She was stopped by a single sentence from Todd. 

"You're kind of chummy with him aren't you?" Todd asked.

"So?" Kitty snapped. "We're friends."

"That was a little friendlier than usual," Todd pointed out. "The only other person I've ever seen you give that look to was Lance." 

"That's ridiculous!" Kitty flushed and shouted at him. "Like what do you know about Lance and me anyway, Toad?" 

"I know you were the only person in his life Lance ever loved," Todd said softly. "And if I know him, he still does." Then he walked away. 


	68. The Trials of Training

**The Trials of Training**

After a quick stop to show the new arrivals where they would be staying, they all went to the field to start their routine with the exercises, obstacle course and weight run. "We have to do this every day?" Amara groaned. "This is so hard!" 

"Wait until you have to fight Wavedancer," Bobby groaned as he collapsed on the grass. 

"That…(huff) was…(huff) so hard," Jamie gasped.

"You had the lighter weights!" Ray snapped. 

"That's cause he's younger stupid!" Roberto snapped. "Cut the kid some slack!" 

"Don't tell me what to do!" Ray snapped.

"That's enough!" Roadblock shouted. "You want to fight each other, you'll get your chance soon enough." 

"Yeah the Blind Master is gonna check on your fighting skills," Todd told them.

"Blind Master?" Ray asked. "As in actually blind?"

"Yeah," Althea told him. 

"But if he can't see us what can he do?" Ray asked. 

"Interesting question, Berzerker isn't it?" The Blind Master came up to them. "You will learn that the keenest eye is that which looks inward. Come, it's time for Jinx and I to judge you newer students on your fighting. You others may watch today. This way I can judge who goes in what groups." 

"Oh good," Sam groaned. "Why do I have the feeling this is not going to be fun?" They entered the fighting area. Roadblock and Logan were waiting for them as well. 

"Okay first up, Multiple vs. the Triplets," Jinx called out. 

"We figured considering the nature of his powers this would be a fair fight," Roadblock said. "As long as he doesn't make too many clones of himself." 

"All right!" Jamie came into the ring and made two clones of himself. "Ready for action!" 

"This ought to be good," Todd snickered as the triplets entered.

"I can't watch," Sam groaned. "Yes I can." 

"Ready…" Jinx said. "Fight!" 

"Okay give me your best shot!" Jamie shouted. 

"You heard him girls," Daria smiled.

"Ready?" Quinn smirked. 

"Let's do it!" Brittany grinned. They charged.

And promptly kissed each clone square on the cheek. 

"AAAAAAGGGGGHHHH!" Jamie screamed. He tried to pull the girls off him but they kept kissing. Jamie finally pulled himself together (literally) and ran away.

"Come back!" Brittany chased him.

"We just wanna play!" Daria shouted.

"Kissing time!" Quinn giggled.

"HELP!" Jamie screamed. "GET ME OUT OF HERE!" 

"What kind of move is that?" Logan groaned.

"A very effective one," Roadblock watched the chaos with some amusement. 

"All right," The Blind Master groaned. "Next up on the entertainment channel, Cannonball vs. Magma! Remember, fighting only. No powers." 

"Okay," Sam gulped. He really didn't want to fight a girl. "That sounds fair. I just gotta remember not to hurt her. Just take it easy Magma…I'll go easy on you."

"HI-YA!" Amara gave a flying kick witch knocked him out cold. "Um…how was that?" She asked Jinx.

"Not bad," Jinx nodded. 

"Girl has potential," Logan nodded.

"I'm sorry Sam," Magma said. "I didn't mean to hurt you! Are you okay?" 

"Easy squeazy lemon peasy," Sam replied in a dazed voice. 

"Okay, next up is Boom Boom vs. Berzerker," Jinx called out.

"Some fight that's going to be," Roberto called out. "It's just like their relationship! Berzerker's just gonna talk some trash until Boom Boom kicks his butt!" Roberto laughed.

"Hey come in here and say that to my face funny boy!" Ray snapped. 

"With pleasure!" Roberto jumped up and soon the two were punching each other out.

"THIS IS NOT THE TYPE OF FIGHTING I MEANT!" Jinx shouted. 

"I believe I will handle this Jinx," The Blind Master told her. "Hold my cane will you?" 

The Blind Master made an effective leap over to them. With a few swift kicks and punches, the quarreling teens were soon on the ground. "I think I have answered your earlier question on what a blind ninja master can do," He smirked. 

"Ow…" Roberto groaned.

"You two are lucky," Jinx quipped. "Few novices experience a personal session with a master so early in their training." 

"Well on the bright side at least we have those two out of the way," Roadblock groaned.

"So who am I gonna fight?" Tabitha looked around. 

"Althea," Jinx said.

"With pleasure," She grinned.

"Oh this is not gonna be good," Kurt gulped. Two minutes later Tabitha was on the ground. "I was right." 

"That was payback for me walking in on Toad when I lived with him right?" Tabitha groaned.

"Bingo!" Todd smirked. 

"Okay," She muttered. "I blew him up in the shower, his girl wipes the walls with me. That's fair. I'm gonna take a nap now." Tabitha then passed out. 

************************************************************************

After Tabitha had come to her senses, the students learned that they would be divided into three groups. The Beginner group was made up of Evan, Bobby, Ray, Roberto, Jamie, Rahnee and Sam. The Intermediate group, the ones with some skill were Jubilee, Scott, Jean, Tabitha and the Triplets (Because of their age.) The Advanced group, or the ones with the most potential were Althea, Todd, Kitty, Kurt, Rogue, Amara and Remy. The Beginners would be trained under Jinx. The Intermediates were under Snake Eyes, with one of the Triplets translating his sign language. The Blind Master took charge of the last group personally. 

Needless to say at the end of the first training day every group was tired. After cleaning up (With more instances of water temperature change) and rubdowns, the students went to their first class. It was with a Joe named Airtight whose specialty was nuclear, biological and radioactive warfare as well as toxic chemicals. He was in charge of the Chemistry class. Of course, Airtight had other ideas. 

"Okay now class today we are going to learn how to disarm a bomb," Airtight said.

"Uh…I think we already did this," Kitty blinked.

"You didn't do it my way!" Airtight smiled. 

"I think I can see where this is going…"Scott moaned. 

Twenty minutes later….

"How on Earth did you get stuck to the ceiling?" Hawk groaned as he helped Lifeline pull Airtight down. 

"I made a slight miscalculation," Airtight told him. "Maybe I shouldn't have used chewing gum in my fake bomb solution." 

"You think?" Lifeline asked. "Where are the kids?" 

"Someone took them down the hall to the other chemistry lab," Airtight told him. 

"Who?" Hawk asked. 

************************************************************************

"ALL RIGHT YOU MANIACS!" Beach Head shouted. "THAT'S IT! STOP IT! ICEMAN STOP MAKING SNOWBALLS! BERZERKER! SUNSPOT STOP FIGHTING! YOU'RE MAKING HOLES IN THE WALLS!" He dodged an electric beam. "I SAID QUIT IT! JUBILEE QUIT THE FIREWORKS! NIGHTCRAWLER! TOAD! STOP CLIMBING THE WALLS! GET DOWN HERE! CYCLOPS STOP MAKING OUT WITH JEAN! DO YOU WANT ME TO TURN THE HOSE ON YOU?"

"I'll do it!" Althea volunteered as she turned on the lab's sink. She grinned as the water started to run. 

"NO! DON'T!" Beach Head shouted. Too late. "ALTHEA! JEAN STOP FIGHTING! TRIPLETS! STOP CHASING MULTIPLE! ALL OF HIM! TOAD STOP SLIMING THE WALLS! SPYKE WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING WITH THOSE PAPER AIRPLANES! BOOM BOOM! NOOOOOOO!" 

************************************************************************

Far away, another group of mutants was also undergoing rigorous training. "MOVE IT YOU IDIOTS!" Sabertooth screamed. 

Pietro, Lance and Fred were dodging several large metal spheres. They were too fast for Lance and he was quickly knocked out. Pietro looked back and did not pay attention to what he was doing and was knocked flat as well. Fred instinctively stepped in front of him to protect him from the final one. It shattered against his invulnerable skin.   
"That's enough," Magneto stopped the simulation. He looked at the trio in disgust. 

"Pathetic," Sabertooth grumbled folding his arms. 

"Blob you may leave," Magneto said. "You have passed today's session. You two failures are another story!" 

Fred knew that was his cue to leave. Even Sabertooth got the hint. They walked out. Fred inwardly cringed as the doors slammed shut, knowing what was probably going to happen to his friends. 

"Well at least there's one of you that can take the heat," Sabertooth snarled before he left. 

Fred stood there panting for a few minutes. He had a feeling that he shouldn't leave right away. He was right. Magneto walked out after a while, not even bothering to look at Fred. When he was gone, Fred peeked into the training room. 

Fred looked at both Lance and Pietro, lying helpless on the floor. He gulped inwardly. He was sore enough after Sabertooth's sessions, but at least his skin was invulnerable. He could see faint traces of blood already leaking through their training clothes. 

"Come on guys," Gently Fred picked them up. "Let's get you two to the infirmary and cleaned up." This was starting to get to be a regular procedure by now. Nearly every day Magneto pushed their bodies to the limit and beyond. For some reason neither Wanda nor John were ever hurt as badly. _I guess he doesn't want to risk harming his 'better' mutants,_ Fred thought angrily. 

The infirmary was empty. Most of the time it was expected for mutants to care for themselves. If any mutant was injured, they were expected to care for themselves and not expect help. A mutant that was severely injured could get help from Magneto, but that was only in extreme cases. Mostly it was the rule of Survival of the Fittest. 

"Okay," Fred sighed as he placed them both on the medical beds. "Which one of you is hurt worse?"

"I think we both are," Lance groaned. "But then he had a 'talk' with Pietro after you left." 

Fred knew what that meant. "Okay Pietro I'd better look at you first," He sighed. 

Pietro reluctantly allowed Fred to help undress him. "This is so humiliating," He grumbled.

"This isn't exactly a thrill for me either you know!" Fred told him. 

Pietro sighed as he lay there on his stomach, his naked backside exposed. Red welts were on his buttocks as well as his back. "At least he didn't use the taser this time," he muttered. 

Gently Fred began to tend to his wounds. "This will help," Fred said as he rubbed the cream on Pietro's backside. Then he covered him with a towel and placed a few bandages on his back. "At least nothing's broken." 

"Yeah well he's an expert at that," Pietro grunted though the pain. 

Fred then began to tend to Lance's wounds. "You aren't hurt as bad," Fred told him. 

"Yeah well," Lance flinched. "I think he expects a lot less from me." 

"He thinks I'm useless," Pietro grimaced. "I'll show him. I'll show him somehow or die trying!" 


	69. Happy Birthday, Multiple!

**And now some more pointless fluff and silliness! **

**Happy Birthday Multiple!**

A few more days passed. More days of training and fights. Of silliness and insanity. Then the Joes learned a valuable piece of information. And the Joes were always ready to put such information to good news. So that following morning….

"A WOP BABA LOOMA A WOP BAM BOOM!" The music of Little Richard blared on the Pit. 

"GOOOD MOOOORRRRRININNG PIT!" Shipwreck shouted over the microphone. "RISE AND SHINE! TODAY IS A SPECIAL DAY! TODAY WE CELEBRATE THE 13TH BIRTHDAY OF MULTIPLE! OUR VERY OWN ONE KID ARMY! HAPPY BIRTHDAY KID! AND SINCE TODAY IS A SPECIAL DAY ALL REGULAR TRAINING AND CLASSES ARE CANCELLED FOR THE DAY! ALL STUDENTS REPORT TO THE CAFETERIA THIS MORNING FOR A VERY SPECIAL BIRTHDAY BREAKFAST!" 

"YAYYY!" All the students cheered wildly. 

"Oh goody," Xavier groaned. "A Joe birthday party! Why do I have this feeling of impending doom?" 

************************************************************************

"So what is on the agenda for today?" Logan asked Jinx. They were all in the cafeteria. The kids were eating Roadblock's pancakes with relish. As well as having some fun. 

"After breakfast we're going to have a tour of the base for the kids," Jinx said. "We never really showed them around the Pit anyway. Then we'll have some martial arts demonstrations as well as showing them some of our tanks and everything. Then late this afternoon we'll have a birthday party for the kid and a cookout." 

"Hopefully it will end up better than the last cookout," Xavier groaned. 

"Are you sure this is all right?" Ororo asked. 

"We Joes will look for any excuse to have a party," Shipwreck smiled. 

"That I believe," Xavier groaned. "Oh look, a food fight!" Some jam splattered onto Xavier's shirt. 

"Well at least the kids didn't start this one," Hawk sighed. "LEATHERNECK! WET SUIT! HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD THE TWO OF YOU TO KNOCK IT OFF?!" 

"He started it!" They both shouted. Still they kept on flinging food. Soon everyone was throwing something.

Except for Xavier. He kept getting hit. "I am really starting to hate it here," He grumbled. 

************************************************************************

A few hours later Xavier was in Hawk's temporary office (His old office was being redecorated because of the incident.) "General," Xavier said angrily. "I thought I made it clear that my students are here to learn how to control their mutant powers and improve their fighting abilities. Not to learn how to shoot guns!" 

"Calm down Xavier," BeachHead snapped. "First of all they weren't shooting guns! They were shooting rifles! There is a difference you know! And we were teaching them about gun safety! It's not like the kids were left alone for a minute anyway! There were several Joes there watching them."

"That's what I'm worried about!" Xavier snapped. "Knowing you maniacs there could have been a shooting contest or something between them!"

"That would never happen," Hawk said. "Not since we barred Leatherneck and Wet Suit from being on the same range together at the same time." 

"I don't understand what you're all worked up about," Beach Head told him. "I mean it's not like those kids are never going to be shot at anyway!"

"Beach Head!" Hawk shouted.

"Well it's true!" Beach Head snapped. "I mean if it isn't gonna be Cobras it'll be mercenaries or bounty hunters or some kind of deranged scientist flunkies. Plus there are a lot of militia groups out there…" 

"Beach Head a guided missile has more tact than you do!" Hawk snapped. "The last thing those kids are gonna want to hear is how they're going to be hunted by nutcases the rest of their lives!" 

"I didn't tell them that!" Beach Head snapped. "I just thought it would be a good idea if they knew what type of weapons their enemies used that's all. Besides some of those kids are practically living weapons anyway! It's not like they weren't already dangerous or anything!" 

"Oh no," Xavier said sarcastically. "Just teach them to be trigger happy nutcases. Yeah that puts my mind at ease!" 

"Uh…General Hawk sir," Leatherneck came in. Jamie was with him. "We kind of had a little accident this afternoon." 

"It was my fault sir," Jamie said. "I kinda lost control of the tank I was driving and…" 

"You let him drive a tank?" Xavier shouted.

"Just a little one," Leatherneck said. 

"It was great!" Jamie shouted happily. 

"I was with the kid the whole time!" Leatherneck told the scowling Xavier. "It was a two seater. Come on the kid has to learn to drive sometime!" 

"Well that explains the huge hole in the cafeteria wall," Wet Suit stuck his head in and laughed.

"Those brakes were defective!" Leatherneck shouted. "It turned out to be the same one Dial Tone tried to make some 'improvements' on a while back."

"You mean they still haven't fixed that thing yet?" Hawk groaned. "Well that explains it! I'm amazed you only destroyed a wall!"

"I'm amazed I still have some sanity left," Xavier groaned. 

************************************************************************

Later on the entire Joe base had turned out for the birthday cook out. "I have to admit," Xavier watched the entertainment. "This is impressive. When you said you would have the ninjas perform feats of marital arts I never expected this!" 

They watched in amazement as the Blind Master juggled several working 

chainsaws with ease. "This is the coolest Birthday party ever!" Jamie crowed. 

"Wow!" Todd watched the show. "You know, no matter how many times I see it! I still don't believe it!" 

"He's good," Scott gulped. 

"Ta Da!" The Blind Master finished with a big flourish. 

"That was great!" Jamie said. "Do I get my presents now?" 

"This kid has his priorities straight doesn't he?" Shipwreck laughed. 

"First the big surprise," Roadblock smiled. "Okay you can bring them out now!" A man and a woman arrived carrying some presents. 

"MOM! DAD!" Jamie cried out, running over to them and giving them a big hug. 

"We thought your folks would want to see you," Roadblock shrugged. 

"Jamie!" Mrs. Maddox smiled. "It's so good to see you! Look at how big you've gotten!"

"Aw mom," Jamie flustered. 

"Come here big guy!" Mr. Maddox gave Jamie a hug. "You didn't really think we'd forget you on your special day now did you?" He hugged him a bit too tightly. Several clones popped out. "Oops. Forgot about that."

"That's okay," Jamie shrugged. "Happens all the time." 

"It's still hard to get used to," Mrs. Maddox sighed. "But I guess that just means there's more of you to love." She hugged one of the clones. 

The others watched the tender moment. "That's really nice," Rogue sighed.

"Yeah," Remy hugged her shoulder. "Too bad more parents aren't like them." 

"Mom, Dad it is soooo cool here!" Jamie told them. "I get to train with real ninjas and today I had pancakes for breakfast and then I had a tour around the base and then I got to drive a tank and fire a rifle and then they took me for a ride in a real jet and then…"

"Whoa slow down there," Mr. Maddox chuckled. Then he looked concerned. "You drove a what? And you fired a what?" 

"Okay time for presents!" Shipwreck said quickly. He handed him a box. "This one's from me and my family!"

"WOW!" Jamie opened his box and squealed with joy with what he saw. "This is great! I've always wanted one of these! Thanks Shipwreck!" 

"A supersoaker water gun," Xavier groaned. "How thoughtful!" 

Jamie got several other presents, clothes, video games, and other toys. Jamie was having the time of his life. "This is the best birthday ever!" He said again and again. 

The X-Men were also enjoying themselves. Xavier was also happy. It was the first time in a long while that none of them were fighting. But that was about to change. While the kids were playing touch football, a commotion happened among the adults. 

"Cover Girl will you tell this bozo that we are dating and put him out of his misery?" Dusty snapped as he and Cross-Country followed the woman all over the field. 

"Cover Girl will you inform this lunatic that he is sadly mistaken and that you are my girlfriend?" Cross-Country snapped. 

"She is not your girlfriend!" Dusty snapped. 

"Is too!" 

"Is not!" 

"Is too!" 

"Is not!" Dusty punched him on the nose. Soon both of them were rolling around in the dirt fighting. 

"She's dating me!" Dusty snapped.

"She's dating me!" Cross-Country snapped. 

"Is not!" Dusty shouted.

"You want a fat lip?" Cross-Country snapped. 

"SHUT UP!" Cover Girl screamed. The fighting came to a halt. Both men sheepishly stood up. 

"Both of you quit it!" Cover Girl snapped. "That's it! As of now I'm dumping both of you! I've found someone else already! A real gentleman who doesn't treat a lady like an object!"

"Who?" They both asked.

"Well, me actually," Hank said coming up to Cover Girl. "Shall we go my dear?"

"With pleasure," She took his hand and they walked away.

"I don't believe this!" Dusty groaned. 

"Yeah," Beach Head turned around. "Okay everybody! Pay up!" Several Joes exchanged money. "For once I won something around here!" Beach Head laughed as he collected his winnings. 

"Well I did not expect that," Cross-Country said.

"Neither did I," Dusty said. 

They looked at each other. "THIS IS YOUR FAULT!" They shouted at each other at the same time. Then they started fighting each other again. 

"Uh is it always like this around here?" Mrs. Maddox asked Xavier. 

"Well…" Xavier was about to say something when several students ran by. They were chasing a penguin. The bird had a mini football in its beak. "Like what?" 

"Mr. Xavier just exactly what kind of an education is our son getting?" Mr. Maddox asked. 

"A very good one," Xavier said smoothly. "I mean there are a few oddballs around here. But all in all the kids are learning to control their powers and get along with people." 

"TOAD YOU ARE GOING TO DIE!" Jubilee screamed.

"You were saying?" Shipwreck said wryly. The students were all fighting each other. 

"What happened this time?" Xavier groaned. 

"Well some of the X-men threw some water bombs at Toad so he retaliated with his own bombs. But they didn't exactly have water in them," Shipwreck explained.

Todd ran by laughing. Jubilee and Ray chased him. They were covered in slime. "Come back here and fight like a man you frog!" Ray screamed. 

"A birthday party complete with fireworks," Xavier groaned as he watched his students brawl and destroy everything in their path. "The perfect end to a perfect day!" 

**Okay, enough fluff! Next chapter actually has some plot in it! While the kids on the base go through some more 'training', the Brotherhood decides to crash the party! **


	70. These People Are Nuts!

**Whoops! Sorry! There's more insanity and fluff in this chapter too! My mistake! But the next one will have the Brotherhood in it! I promise! I just had to get this out of the way! **

**These People are Nuts!**

"Well let's review how our students are doing shall we?" Xavier said to Logan some time later. "So far they've gotten into 23 different fights with Toad and the Delgato children. Blown up two walls, Hawk's office as well as several other items on the obstacle course. Destroyed three classrooms and took a tank for a joyride. And it's only been a week!" 

"Well on the upside their fighting skills have improved," Logan said.

"Of course they've improved!" Xavier snapped. "How can they not improve with all the fights Toad and those insane Delgato kids start?"

"Hey some of those fights our kids have started too," Logan pointed out. "You can't blame the Delgatos for everything!"

"You're right, I don't!" Xavier said. "I blame their lunatic father. Not to mention every Joe on this base for allowing this behavior to go on. Maybe we should go home early. I mean how are they supposed to learn to behave in this type of environment?" 

"Just what are you saying Chuck?" Logan asked. 

"These people are lunatics!" Xavier shouted.

"They are not lunatics," Logan said.

"Oh really?" Xavier looked at him. "Let's look at the facts shall we? Number one: How many military bases do you know wake up to the song Tutti Frutti instead of Reveille? Number two, for recreation they play golf in a minefield, play football using tanks and basically blow anything up for fun! Number three, the secret disco lounge the ninjas hide in their dojo! Number four, the incident in the laundry room this morning…"

"Now wait a minute!" Logan snapped. "What Jinx and I were doing is nobody's…"

"Not you!" Xavier snapped. "After that!"

"What happened after that?" Logan asked. 

"I don't want to talk about it," Xavier muttered. "Let's just say it involved a trampoline, bubble gum and a fire extinguisher." 

A penguin ran by. Todd and Multiple were chasing it. "Here Harpo!" They called out happily. 

"Exhibit number five…" Xavier pointed out. 

"I see another penguin round up is in place," Hank said as he and Ororo came in. Ororo was carrying a bouquet of flowers.

"Hank, Ororo," Xavier said. "Well I see you got another bunch of flowers. Who sent them this time? Shipwreck?"

"If it was him they'd have been stuffed down his throat by now!" Ororo sighed. "I can't believe this! Nearly every single male on this base has asked me out on a date ever since I stepped foot on this base." 

"I would have thought you would be flattered," Hank said.

"You try being woken up three or four times a night by serenading lunatics and see how you like it!" Ororo groaned. 

"I do have to admit the Joes are fascinating individuals," Hank chuckled. "There are some of them who have extraordinary abilities, even though they are not mutants. One Joe, Airborne I believe has some kind of ESP and Lifeline has a healing ability that is quite phenomenal. Peter's made tremendous progress with his help." 

"They also have the ability to create chaos and trouble wherever they go," Xavier groaned. 

"Name one instance where the Joes have done that on this base!" Logan said.

"Shipwreck's barbecue," Xavier said.

"Name another," Logan said. "Without him!" 

"Okay," Xavier said. "How about the incident in the cafeteria yesterday?" 

"BA promised he'd never use that recipe again!" 

"I hope not, if he does there won't be a cafeteria left!" Xavier said. 

"Come on Charles," Hank said. "I mean we X-Men are hardly the standard of normalcy. You should not be throwing chunks of granite from your glass domicile."

"Hank's got a point there," Logan said. "We ain't exactly the most normal bunch in the world either. Besides you're the one who's always telling the kids they should stick it out when the going gets tough."

"Yes," Xavier sighed. "I do always say that, don't I?" 

Not long after that the kids were doing another round of KP duty. "I'll tell you one thing," Bobby groaned after washing his hundredth dish that day. "When we get back to the mansion, I will never complain about doing dishes again that's for sure!" 

Scott noticed Althea rummaging around in the back stockroom. "What are you doing?" He asked.

"Trying to find something," Althea told him. "Ah ha! Got it!" She took out a bag of coffee. 

"It's coffee," Scott said. "So what?" 

"Not just any coffee," Althea smirked. "BA's special blend. The real good stuff." 

"What's so special about coffee?" Evan asked.

"Taste some," Althea smiled as she brewed it. "You'll see." 

************************************************************************

"Okay so maybe this isn't such a bad idea," Xavier sighed. They were headed for the cafeteria. "I mean it's only a little while longer and the children are learning how to fight better. I mean maybe you are right Logan." 

"Professor, Logan! Come quick!" Duke ran up. "The kids got into some dangerous stuff! We need your help!" 

"What?" Logan asked. "Did they get into the weapons? The tanks?"

"No! Worse! The coffee!" Duke shouted. "Come on!" 

"Well what's so bad about coffee?" Logan asked. 

"Does this answer your question?" Duke opened the door to the cafeteria. 

Inside was insanity. Althea was making tidal waves all over the room. Todd was hopping all over the place. Scott, Remy, Tabitha, and Ray were having a target practice contest with the plates. Bobby had made an ice slide and was sliding on it with the Triplets. Rahnee, Sam, Roberto and Jubilee were chasing each other around the room. Rogue and Kitty were dancing a storm. They all were drinking coffee as well.

"This is no ordinary coffee," Duke told them. "It's BA's special blend. There's enough caffeine in one cup to keep a herd of elephants awake for a week. And when a mutant drinks it…" 

"Coffee! Coffee! Coffee!" Dozens of Jamies ran around wildly. 

Kurt teleported all over the place laughing wildly. "This coffee is Wunderbar!" He shouted. 

"Kurt get off the ceiling!" Logan snapped. "Yeah we get the picture! We'd better get reinforcements!" 

"We tried that," Duke pointed to the ceiling. 

"Hank?" Xavier gulped. 

_" All of my life I have searched for a brew like this one!" _Hank sang out as he did flips. _"A wilder more robust flavor I couldn't design! Hundreds of flavors explode in my mouth and I don't want to miss one! There's nothing better I proclaim! Nothing better I maintain! The greatest coffee is mine!" _

"Did I mention the Beast drank some too?" Duke groaned. 

Silverware and trays floated by. "And by the looks of it, so did Jean!" Logan groaned. 

"WAHHOOO!" Jean flew around. "Hey! I just realized I can fly! How cool is that?" 

"How long are they going to be like this?" Logan asked.

"Until they wear themselves out," Duke cringed as a window exploded. 

"And when will that be?" Xavier asked. 

"Oh I say, a day or two," Duke said. "Or more. Depending on how much they drank." 

All the students and Hank were singing a song about the wonders of coffee. They were definitely not in control of their powers. Bobby covered the floor in ice. "Wheeeeee!" Scott skated by laughing. "This is great! Just like an ice rink!" Everyone laughed and skated around. Falling and bumping into each other. And occasionally blowing up a wall. 

"How many days of this do we have left?" Xavier groaned.

"Seven," Logan told him. 

"I'm not gonna make it," Xavier moaned. 


	71. Mutant Beach Party

**Mutant Beach Party**

Magneto looked at the report his assistant; a mutant named Winters had given him. Winters had the ability of processing data, so in fact, he was practically a living computer. He was also Magneto's personal butler. 

"So the X-Men are training at the GI Joe base," Magneto mused. "Interesting. And according to this report there may be as many as five other mutants on the base as well as Toad. Someone should look into that."

"We could do that," Pietro spoke up. He, Lance and Fred had been sentenced to cleaning duty. 

"Yeah let us take care of those X-Geeks!" Lance said. 

"You couldn't take care of that traitor Toad!" Magneto snapped. "What makes you think that you can take care of both the Joes and the X-Men?"

"Uh sir," Fred spoke up. "Technically Toad's not a traitor. I mean, you did kick him out before he joined up with the Joes so he couldn't really betray us if he was kicked out now could he? Now if he was still with us and then he went to the Joes then he'd be a traitor, but…" Then he noticed Magneto was giving him a murderous glare. "I think I'll shut up now." 

"If I may sir," Winters interrupted. "The others are ready for the mission briefing."

"Mission?" Pietro asked. "What mission?"

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with," Magneto told him. "Something the more competent members of this organization can deal with. You three stay here and try not to damage the place. We'll deal with the Joes when I get back. I have more important matters to deal with." He left the room with Winters following. 

"Sheesh," Fred grumbled. "What a grouch!"

"Hey what are you doing?" Lance asked Pietro who was fooling around with the computer.

"Getting information about those mutants and the X-Geeks!" Pietro snapped. "Interesting, according to Winters' data they're gonna be training around these coordinates. This is a perfect opportunity!"

"For what?" Fred asked.

"For finding out about those new mutants you moron!" Lance snapped. 

"Come on!" Pietro snapped. "We're gonna show Magneto that we can do something once and for all!" 

************************************************************************

"All right everybody ready?" Shipwreck called out to the students. They were all at a small seaport with luggage. They were all going on a boating trip by themselves and Shipwreck, Storm, and Xavier were there to see them off. 

"I can't believe we are going to do survival training all by ourselves," Rogue said. 

"I can," Althea quipped. "The adults can't take us kids anymore. They need a break from us. And it's hardly survival training. We're just gonna go off to one of the islands and have a camp out." 

"It's not a camp out," Scott told her. "Let's check the supplies. Blankets?" 

"Check," Shipwreck helped him.

"Food?"

"Check."

"Ropes." 

"Check." 

"Tents."

"Check."

"Diapers. DIAPERS?" Scott did a double take.

"Well yeah," Shipwreck handed him Claudius. "The little guy isn't potty trained yet!"

"Told you," Althea snapped. 

"I'll take him!" Todd took the baby. "Me and Little C get along real good!" 

"Oh this is going to be fun," Remy groaned. 

"Okay what else?" Althea looked at the list. "Volleyballs?"

"Check!" Todd chirped. 

"Surfboards." 

"Check."

"Beach toys."

"Got 'em!" 

"I don't believe this," Scott moaned as Todd and Althea went over the list. 

"Now here are the coordinates," Shipwreck gave Scott the map. "There are a few small islands in this area. But this is the one you need to go to," He pointed to a map. "There's already a Joe there waiting for you. Good luck and see you on Monday!" 

"You're just going to leave us on our own?" Jean asked.

"Well," Xavier told them. "I think it's time you students had some alone time. I know we need some." 

"You'll all be fine," Ororo said. 

"I get to drive the boat!" Kurt shouted.

"You don't drive a boat you moron!" Althea rolled her eyes. "What a bunch of landlovers!" 

Soon the kids were sailing off in a large boat. "Do you think this is wise?" Ororo asked. 

"Ah they'll be fine," Shipwreck said. "They're pretty good kids and it's not like there won't be any adults around."

"I just hope they don't kill each other," Xavier groaned. 

************************************************************************  
The ocean was clear and blue. The waves were calm as Scott steered the craft. Everything was peaceful. Well maybe not everything….

"Sailing, sailing over the bounty main!" Polly sang.

"Why is this stupid bird with us?" Scott asked.

"Pop wanted us to have a chaperone," Daria told him.

"Ask a stupid question," Scott groaned. 

"Lighten up Summers," Todd told him. "Hey we're getting away from it all for a whole weekend! This will be fun!" 

"Whoopie," Jean groaned. "How much longer to the island?" 

"Oh come on Jean," Kitty said. "At least we get a sailing trip out of this!"

"I suppose you're right," Jean sighed. "I mean I guess it wouldn't be so bad IF A CERTAIN BIRD WOULD STAY OUT OF MY HAIR!" She brushed Polly away. The bird decided to land on her head. 

"AWK! Thar she blows!" Polly cackled. 

"Great it got feathers in my hair," Jean grumbled, picking them out. "Xavier was right about one thing. Training with GI Joe is an experience I'll never forget. No matter how hard I try."

"Jean just chill will ya?" Rogue said. "Well at least nothing can happen to us on this trip." 

"WAHHOOOOO!" A boat sped by them at an alarming rate. "AVAST YE LANDLOVERS! GEEK SQUAD AHOY!" Pietro shouted. 

"You just had to say that didn't you Rogue?" Roberto shouted. 

"Who are they?" Quinn looked at the speedboat pulling along side of them. 

"The Brotherhood!" Scott snapped, trying to outdistance them. "Come to ruin the party as usual!" 

"Pull over Summers!" Lance cackled. "You're over the limit on geeks!" 

"I'll show you geeks," Althea readied her powers. However, at the exact same time the Brotherhood's craft bumped alongside of the boat, throwing her to the ground and temporarily knocking her out.

"Wavedancer!" Todd cried out. "That is it!" Todd shot out acid projections at the boat.

"Whoa!" Fred shouted as the acid hit the boat and started to burn holes in it. "They're firing at us!" 

"Fire the weapons!" Pietro shouted.

"What weapons?" Fred asked. 

"Oh man we are dead!" Lance groaned. 

"No we are not!" Pietro snapped. 

"What are you gonna do?" Lance blinked. "Uh Pietro, you're headed straight for them!"

"That's the plan!" Pietro cackled insanely. 

"What's going on?" Althea regained her senses, still slightly woozy. 

"The Brotherhood is gonna ram us!" Kitty shouted.

"Oh no they don't!" Althea shouted. 

Both boats collided. Althea shouted and sent a huge wave against the Brotherhood boat, sending them far away. Too late. Their boat was wrecked. 

"There's an island over there!" Jean said. 

"It's too far! We're not going to make it!" Bobby shouted.

"Wanna bet!" Althea created a huge wave under them.

"NOOOOOO!" The X-Men screamed as it crashed forward. The next thing they knew they were stranded on an island somewhere.

"Let me guess," Amara groaned. "This is not the island we're supposed to be on is it?"

"No it is not," Scott kicked the sand. 

"Way to go Wavedancer," Bobby grumbled.

"Hey I got us here didn't I?" Althea said. 

"The radio's busted," Roberto groaned. "And we're way off course. What do we do?" 

"Can't you like just part the ocean and make a path or something?" Bobby asked Althea.

"Who do I look like? Moses?" Althea snapped. "I don't have that much power!"

"How about calling the Professor?" Todd asked. "Use your little mental link."

"I tried that already but for some reason I can't make a connection," Jean sighed. 

"So we're like stuck here?" Kitty asked.

"Looks like it," Scott sighed.

"Don't worry," Althea told him. "There's plenty of food that was salvaged as well as some blankets and stuff. And there are some kinds of fruit trees over there. We'll be fine until the Joes find us. First thing we should do is build a signal fire." 

"No problem," Amara smiled. 

"I'll get the firewood!" Jamie volunteered.

"Ray and I will go with him," Sam said. "Hey look at all the branches over there! This will be easy!" 

"Wavedancer, you and Toad should help set up the tents," Jean said. "The rest of you start gathering supplies." 

"Who died and made you queen of the island?" Todd said. 

"I'm gonna go see if there's a freshwater stream or something," Althea told him. "Since this is kind of like my field."

"You shouldn't go alone," Jean said.

"Don't worry Red," Althea waved. "There's no one else here. I can handle myself." She took off. 

"We're going to get some fish!" The triplets said together and dove into the water. 

"Fine, Rahnee, Tabitha you help me with the tents," Jean sighed. "Tabitha?" 

She wasn't listening. In fact, what she was doing was lying down getting some sun in her bathing suit, listening to her Walkman. Rahnee was doing the same thing. "Great," Jean grumbled. 

"Relax Jean," Bobby said. "We've already got a fire going and plenty of food." 

"Yeah like we can't be that far off course," Kitty and Rogue were breaking out the food. "We may not even need the tents."

"It's supposed to be sunny and warm all weekend anyway," Rogue told her. "And it's early. For all we know they could be looking for us right now. The best thing to do is sit tight and relax." 

"In the meantime, Surf's up dude!" Kurt said, grabbing a surfboard.

"You said it man!" Evan told him. "Good thing we all wore our swimming gear."

"Hey anybody wanna play volleyball?" Ray asked.

"Little C and me are gonna make some sandcastles," Todd plopped the baby down. "Right buddy?" Immediately the baby started playing in the sand. 

"Guys we're all stranded here! This is serious! Scott will you tell them…?" Jean started to say. 

Scott ran past her with a surfboard. "COWABUNGA!" 

"Why do I even bother?" Jean groaned, putting her head in her hands. 

"Aloha!" Polly flew over her head, dropping some kind of flower on her head. 

"Oh what the hell," Jean sighed. "Anybody seen the marshmallows?" 

************************************************************************

Not far away, Althea found a waterfall. "Bingo," She chuckled, filling up her canteen. "That was easy." 

Althea heard voices. "Let's go spy on the X-Geeks you said! Let's ram their boat you said!" 

"Shut up Blob!" 

"Face it Quicksilver this idea of yours was a bust! Magneto's gonna kill us!" 

"Avalanche will you…." The three members of the Brotherhood came into the clearing. "Well, well…what do we have here?"

"Well hello there," Althea smiled sweetly. "You boys from around here?" 

"Nope just visiting," Pietro zoomed up to her, smiling. "So you're one of those new mutants huh? Call me Quicksilver."

"Call me Wavedancer," Althea flirted, and evil plan forming in her mind. "Who's your cute friends?" 

"I'm Avalanche and that's Blob!" Lance came over on Althea's other side. 

"Uh hi!" Fred waved. "You see any other mutants around here?" 

"Oh those losers?" She smiled. "No I ditched them. Can't stand those geeks. You two boys are cute."

"Uh," Lance blushed as she came on to him. 

"He's taken," Pietro told her. "I'm not."

"Hey!" Lance snapped. 

"Why be so possessive?" Althea took both their arms. "I like the both of you. You wanna know what my powers are?" 

"Uh yeah," Lance blinked. 

"Come here," She motioned both of them. Lance and Pietro bent their heads towards her. "Closer," They did so. "Perfect!" She grabbed their heads and banged them together. 

"OWWW!" They screamed.

"That's for ditching Toad!" She snarled. "And this is just cause I feel like it!" She gave Lance a swift kick in the chest. 

She tried to kick Pietro but he zoomed away. "Whoa! Okay, let me guess? Friend of Toad's right?" He raced up to hit her. To his surprise she ducked and hit him. "HOW DID YOU DO THAT?" He gasped, rubbing his cheek. 

"Ninja trick," She told him. "Wanna see another trick I can do? Question, how long can you hold your breath underwater?" 

"Pretty…" Pietro looked by and saw that the waterfall pool had turned into a huge tsunami. "Uh oh…" 

"This is not good," Fred gulped just before the water crashed down. 

************************************************************************

"I wonder if Althea found any water?" Jean sighed as she and the triplets cooked the fish they caught. 

There was a loud rumbling sound. "What was that?" Kurt asked. 

"Sounds like trouble!" Scott said.

"You got that right!" Evan pointed. "Look!" 

"RUN!" Pietro ran by. "PSYCHO ON THE LOOSE!" Fred and Lance ran after him at a reasonable distance. They were both soaking wet.

"Get out of our way!" Lance screamed. "She's nuts!"

"I don't wanna die!" Fred bawled.

"What happened to them?" Bobby asked.

"I think the question is who happened to them?" Todd snickered, pointing. 

Althea was hot on their heels. "Come back here you barnacle licking landlovers!" She screamed. "Fight like a man!" 

"AWK! DIVEBOMB!" Polly attacked Lance. 

"Get off me you stupid bird!" Lance snapped. 

Pietro took refuge in a palm tree. He threw coconuts at Althea. "Get away you lunatic!" 

Lance and Fred tried to climb the tree without any success. "What are you losers doing here?" Kitty stomped her foot. 

"They came to get pounded that's what they're doing here!" Althea's fists clenched. "Nobody does what they did to my Toddles and gets away with it!"

"Toddles?" Pietro asked. 

"Toddles?" Lance and Fred looked at each other. 

"Toddles?" Scott looked at Todd.

"AL!" Todd groaned. "Remember, we had this little talk about you calling me by **that** name in public?"

"Wait a minute," Lance looked at them. "She calls you a pet name, like she's your girlfriend or something?" 

"I am his girlfriend you moron!" Althea snapped. 

The Brotherhood looked at each other. Then at Todd. "Hard to believe I know," Remy told them. "But it's true." 

"It's not that hard to believe!" Todd snapped. 

"Great," Lance groaned. "Of all the mutants we try to recruit we had to pick the Toad's girlfriend!" 

"This is all your fault Alvers!" Scott snapped. "Thanks to you and your idiot friends we're stuck on this island!"

"This isn't exactly our idea of a good time either you know!" Pietro snapped. "Toad may be one of you X-Geeks now but that doesn't mean…"

"I am not an X-Geek!" Todd shouted. "I'm just stuck with them for a few weeks!"

"Yeah if it wasn't for you we'd still have a school to go to instead of being stuck training with the Joes!" Evan snapped. 

"Hey you're the ones who invited the Joes to spy on all of us in the first place!" Fred snapped.

"That was Wolverine moron!" Bobby snapped.

"Don't call him a moron Popsicle Brain!" Lance snapped. Soon all the X-Men and Brotherhood were fighting with each other. 

"That's it!" Althea shouted. "I HAVE HAD IT WITH THE LOT OF YOU!"

They stopped fighting long enough to see a huge tidal wave bearing down on them. "Not again…" Lance moaned. 


	72. Back on the Mainland

**Why couldn't Jean get in touch with Xavier? One word: Shipwreck. **

**Back on the Mainland…**

"Great now where did those idiots go?" Mystique grumbled. She had changed shape to a blonde woman in a fashionable outfit. She had prowled around the town where the boys had taken off too. It was some kind of seaside place, full of tourists and sailors. She looked and saw there was a bar nearby. "They wouldn't be in there? Would they? Probably." 

She walked into the bar. It looked like every other bar she had ever been in. There was some raucous singing going on. She didn't pay attention to it at first. "When I get my hands on those brats!" Mystique muttered. She decided a drink was in order and ordered a Manhattan from the bar. 

_"Wasted away again in Margaritaville!" _Some very familiar voices sang out. But it wasn't her boys. She looked over her shoulder and saw a sight she'd never thought she'd ever see. 

There was Xavier himself in a Hawaiian flowered shirt, wearing a straw hat, singing his lungs out. Sitting next to him was a bearded sailor and on the table was Storm dancing wildly. They were all obviously plastered. "Xavier drunk," She blinked. "Now I've seen everything." 

"Another round of whatever it was we're drinking!" The sailor shouted out. "We're celebrating!"

"To freedom!" Xavier raised his glass. 

"To independence!" Shipwreck raised his glass.

"To no kids!" Storm laughed as she fell off the table. 

"I just realized something," Xavier said.

"What Charley?" Shipwreck asked. 

"I'm drunk aren't I?" Xavier moaned.

"Yup!" Shipwreck smirked. 

"How did you do this?" Xavier groaned. "I mean I almost never drink! How did you convince Storm and myself to get drunk?" 

"It's a gift!" Shipwreck cheered. "Hey look! Storm's snockered! Hey that rhymes!" 

"Storm's snockered," Xavier said. "Storm's smockered, Storm's slockered…I can't say it." 

"Keep practicing," Shipwreck looked down. "Storm, you okay babe?"

"I've fallen," She giggled "And I can't get up!" 

Mystique moved a discreet distance from the bar. "Sir," Mystique spoke into her communicator. "I found something. You are not going to believe this…" 

"Oh looky here," Xavier looked at his glass. "I'm out…"

"Well get another one," Shipwreck told him. "Yo! Barkeep! Another round for my buddy over here!"

The bartender walked over. "Don't worry," Xavier told him. "None of us are driving." 

"Well you are technically," Shipwreck pointed to his wheelchair. "Don't worry buddy I won't let you drive! I'll take you around the world!" He took the chair and they started rolling all over the bar. "Vroom! Vroom!"

"Wheeee!" Xavier laughed. Shipwreck let go of the handles and he rolled into a wall. "Crash!" He laughed. "Whiplash! I've got whiplash!" 

Shipwreck laughed and slumped at the bar. "Call an attorney!" He giggled hysterically. 

Mystique slid next to Shipwreck at the bar. Her orders were to watch them and find out what was going on. 

"Hi there," She smiled. "You're cute."

"Hello dollface!" Shipwreck smiled. "Wanna drink? Me and my buddies here are celebrating! To freedom!" 

"Freedom!" Ororo laughed as she came over. "Freedom from the kids!" 

"Tell me all about it," Mystique smiled as Shipwreck got her a drink. Of course she never intended to get drunk.

Twenty minutes later she was. They were laughing and joking like they were old friends. All three of them were making up a song. They were singing to the tune of 'What Do You Do with a Drunken Sailor?'

_What do you do with a drunken Xavier?_

Don't let him drive the X-Jet! 

Or you'll end up on the side of a mountain!

Early in the morning! 

Put the brakes on his wheelchair!

Give him a wig 'til he grows some real hair!

Don't let him run around in his underwear! 

Early in the morning!

Whey hey! The glare from his head made me blind!

Whey hey! He's got a big behind! 

Whey hey! He wiped is own mind!

Totally without warning! 

Xavier was not aware of this little ditty. He was busy with his own little project. 

"You know you should tell your wife you love her and stop running around with that secretary of yours," Xavier was counseling the drunks at another table.

"I do love her!" The man bawled. 

"And you should just get up the courage to tell your girl you love her," Xavier told another drunk.

"Wow!" The other drunk said. "It's like you can read my mind or something."

"Well yeah," Xavier had another drink. 

"So let me get this straight," Mystique asked. "You have five…count them…five kids and your wife just up and left you alone with them for another guy? You poor baby!"

"You have no idea what it's like to look after five insane rambunctious kids!" Shipwreck moaned.

"Wanna bet?" Mystique moaned. 

"Oh hello Mystique," Xavier said rolling up to them. 

"Mystique?" Ororo blinked.

"Yeah that's Mystique in disguise," Xavier blinked. "I guess she's here to spy on us."

"Uh oh," Mystique blinked as Ororo got angry. "This is not good!"

"YOU!" Ororo screamed, her powers getting out of control with her temper. Huge winds suddenly blew through the bar. 

Mystique changed shape back to her original form. "Sheesh Larry," One of the drunks at the bar called out. "Turn down the air! People are turning blue in here!" 

"Batten down the masts!" Shipwreck held onto the bar for dear life. "She's blowing up a storm!" 

Mystique blew into some drunks. "Hey! Get off me you freak!" He shouted.

Mystique punched him. Storm punched Mystique. A couple of goons attacked her but Shipwreck punched them out. Soon a full-scale brawl was in place. Xavier even fought by punching someone in the stomach. Mystique shapeshifted into a cop just as the real police arrived. 

Not long after back at the base. "Still can't find them?" Logan asked Hawk.

"No," Hawk nodded. "And we can't find Shipwreck, Xavier or Storm either."

"I believe I just found them," Roadblock handed Hawk a cell phone. 

"Hello?" Hawk said. 

"Uh we're in jail," Shipwreck said. "Could you come and bail me and my pal Charley out? And Storm too?" 

************************************************************************

"My head," Xavier groaned. "I haven't had a hangover like that since I was in college." They were all recovering back at the base. 

"I don't feel so good," Storm moaned. 

"This won't make you feel any better," Logan told them. "The kids never arrived at the island yesterday. They're missing." 

"Why didn't you tell us this before?" Shipwreck yelped.

"Because you were out getting hammered and then you were thrown in the slammer Barnacle Brain!" Roadblock shouted. 

"Mystique was in the bar," Xavier frowned.

"The Brotherhood?" Logan asked.

"Most definitely," Xavier told him. "Wherever they are, I hope our students are all right." 


	73. Talks and a Truce

**I don't know how this chapter happened. I have a strange mind. One couple finally does get together, but it's not the couple you're thinking of! **

**Talks and a Truce**

Back on the beach there were three separate groups of mutants sitting apart from each other. The X-Men, the Brotherhood and of course Toad, Althea and her siblings. Each group hated the other two with a passion right then. 

"This is nuts!" Rogue snapped. "We're not gonna get anything accomplished by sitting around here staring at each other!"

"Rogue's right," Scott said. "As much as we hate each other right now we all have to pull together to get through this. One of us has got to be the one to start talking to each other."

"Then why don't they be the ones?" Ray snapped. 

"No," Scott sighed. "We have to do it. The Professor taught us better than that." 

"I think one of them has beaten us to it," Kitty pointed.

Sitting on their side of the beach the Brotherhood moped. "Let's follow the X-Geeks he says," Fred muttered. "What could happen he says! Great! Now we're stranded here with not only the X-Geeks but Toad and his psychotic mermaid girlfriend." 

"Oh shut up!" Pietro doodled in the sand with a stick. Something climbed up on his leg. "WAHAAA?" 

"What is it?" Lance looked over. 

"What the heck is this?" Pietro looked over and saw Claudius peering up at him with curious eyes.

"Whoa! Man check out those flippers!" Fred said. 

"Cute little guy isn't he?" Pietro marveled. He bent down to pick him up.

"Don't even think about it!" Todd snarled as he hopped over, grabbing Claudius. "Little C you shouldn't be over here. Who knows what kind of diseases you could pick up." 

"Well if it isn't the Toad himself," Lance sneered. "GI Joe's newest little pet."

Todd's eyes turned cold. "I ain't the one on a short leash." 

"Awww," Pietro drawled. "Whatsa matter Toad? Miss your master?" 

"Roadblock's my dad, not my master," Todd snapped. "Although Quickie I can see how you'd confuse the two!" 

"Magneto is just trying to protect mutants from humans!" Pietro snapped. "He's doing what he has to in order to give mutantkind the future it deserves!" 

"And what about what he did to me?" Todd snapped. "Did I deserve that?"

Pietro tried not to turn away from him. "It's not our fault you were weak," He said. "Magneto did what he thought he had to do to make us strong. To keep us from failing in the future."

"Yeah Pietro," Todd said. "Whatever helps you sleep at night." 

"Damn it Toad you think we wanted you gone?" Fred shouted. "We never thought…we didn't …Pietro tell him! Tell him how you tried to make Magneto go back for him! Tell him!"

"Save your breath Blob," Lance said. "He ain't listening."

"Oh I'm listening," Todd said. "I'm listening to all of you spout Magneto's garbage. He doesn't give a damn about anyone but himself and his glorious cause with him as ruler of the world!"

They stared at each other. "You don't know anything," Pietro snarled. "You've been brainwashed by the Joes. They manipulated you and now you're their slave." 

"That's funny talk coming from you," Todd snapped. 

"Those humans have clouded your mind!" Lance snapped. 

"My mind has never been clearer!" Todd snapped. "Unlike Magneto they don't fool around with my mind trying to hide things that aren't true!" 

"You know I didn't think you could get any more pathetic Toad," Pietro snapped. "But you've sunk to an even new low. Hanging around those soldiers, always seeking their approval, waiting for them to throw you a bone! And you're stupid enough to believe what they tell you! Bunch of mutant tamers is what they are!" 

Toad glared at them. "Don't you **ever** say that about Roadblock and my friends again! You hear me! The only reason I'm alive is because of them! No thanks to Magneto!"

"So now you're their pet Toad?" Lance sneered.

"You losers have no idea what I've been through!" Todd snapped. "And Magneto's more responsible than you know!"

"What do you mean?" Pietro asked. 

"I don't know why I'm even telling you this," Todd said. "But I guess even I can't let you fall for his lies. There's something you gotta know." 

"What's going on?" Althea came up with Kitty and Scott. "Are they giving you grief Toad?"

"Nothing I can't handle," Todd told her, handing Claudius back to her. 

"Look," Althea said. "We all hate each other. That's obvious, but like it or not we're all stuck here unless we work together. So how about we forget our differences for now and work on finding a way to get help?" 

"She's got a point Pietro," Lance said. 

"Fine," Pietro sniffed haughtily. "Truce. For now. Not that we really need your help but I suppose we could work together. Since you're so desperate for our help." 

"Wonderful," Scott said. "Come on." 

"Kitty wait," Lance called out. "I…I need to talk to you for a minute." He glared at Scott. "Alone." 

"Fine," She sighed. "You guys go ahead. I'll be okay." She waited until they walked away. "What do you want Lance?"

"I wanted to talk to you," Lance said. "I'm sorry I haven't called you lately. But there aren't exactly any phones lying around where I live now." 

"What makes you think I would want to talk to you Lance?" Kitty snapped. "Especially after what you did! You destroyed the school and nearly killed people! Including me!" 

"Kitty it was an accident!" Lance said. "I didn't mean…" 

"That's what you said the **last** time you destroyed a school! That's the problem with you Lance! It's always some kind of accident!" Kitty snapped. "First there was our old school, then at Bayville High all the stupid things you and your friends did before you trashed it! I'm sick of it! You're out of control! Everywhere you go you cause trouble!"

"I ain't the only one!" Lance snapped. "Refresh my memory Kitty, who's responsible for letting interdimensional dinosaurs trash the Sadie Hawkins dance? Who did joyrides in the X-Jet? Whose powers nearly skewered the track team when they went berserk? Who not only took in a guy wanted by the police, but also let him loose now and then terrifying the city? Face it! You X-Geeks cause just as much trouble as we do! The only difference is you hold yourselves to a different standard!" 

"Well we know better that's all," She snapped. 

"Didn't stop you from attacking an army base," Lance pointed out. 

"So did you!" Kitty snapped. 

"I had no choice!" Lance told her. "You have no idea what I've been through!"

"What you've been through?" Kitty snapped. "What about what I've been through? After you destroyed the school nearly the entire town turned against us! We couldn't even leave the Institute because everyone was so against us! Do you know what it's like to be afraid to even get your mail? Do you?"

"Do you know what it's like to be scared of going to a training session, knowing if you don't pass you'll be beaten?" Lance snapped. "Do you have any idea of what it's like to be isolated from the one person in the world you care about the most? To have everybody try to force you to forget her? It's not exactly a piece of cake you know!" 

"What? Now I'm like supposed to feel sorry for you?" Kitty snapped angrily. "You chose to stay with Magneto!"

"I didn't exactly have any other choice!" Lance shouted. "It's not as if I had anywhere else to go! We both know that!" 

They stared at each other. "If I had stayed behind, do you really think that Xavier would have simply let me stay with you? That the other X-Men would allow it? They couldn't accept me the last time I was there, and I didn't even do anything! And don't say they wouldn't have thrown me to the wolves because you know that they would have done it! Do you want me to end up in some lab someplace, being used for some kind of experiment? That's what they do to mutants they catch you know! They don't just lock them up and throw away the key! They do worse things…horrible things. Magneto showed us this tape he found of…" Lance shuddered. "I…I don't want to end up like that Kitty. I can't." 

"So that's why you hang with that creep?" Kitty snapped. "Even though he treats you badly?" 

"I'm not saying he's perfect!" Lance snapped. "But at least he doesn't have any self delusions about humans!" 

"Oh yeah he just wants to destroy them!" She snapped.

"Hey! They're the ones who want to destroy us!" Lance snapped back. "If we don't do something about it, they'll kill us all without a thought!"

"Not all humans want to do that!" Kitty said. "If you'd just open your eyes and trust some of them…"

"You can't trust any of them!" Lance told her. "It's too dangerous! Especially those soldiers! What you think they're just going to let you go? No way! They're going to keep tabs on you for the rest of your life if you allow it! Or worse!" 

"So what?" Kitty asked. "You're just going to go through your whole life not trusting anyone?" 

"I never had any reason to trust them," Lance said softly. "If you lived the life I lived, you'd understand." 

"Sorry Lance," Kitty snapped. "But that line is getting a little old." 

"Kitty please," Lance pleaded. "I…never wanted to hurt you. You have to believe me! I would never hurt you!"

"I wish I could believe that Lance," Kitty said softly. 

"I'll prove it to you Kitty," Lance said as she walked away. "Somehow." 

************************************************************************

The mutants quickly managed to set up camp again. Fortunately there was an ample supply of food and water as well as blankets. The tents had been washed away but it was very warm out, even when the sun went down. So the kids decided to make the best of a bad situation. 

"It's Luau Time!" Pietro crowed. Several kinds of fish and fruit had been grilled on the bonfires. Not to mention other food that had survived the trip. Soon anger was replaced with hunger. The kids became more concerned on how much food they could stuff into their bellies rather than how they got stuck on the island in the first place. 

After their bellies were full everyone was in a better mood. Kurt, Todd and Fred grabbed some leaves and pretended to dance the hula as entertainment. This caused raucous laughter from everyone. Then everyone started to break off into their own groups to talk. Jean nudged Scott over to the side so they could talk. 

"I think we should kind of act as chaperones," Jean said.

"What protect Kitty from Lance?" Scott asked. 

"Kitty's not the one I'm worried about," Jean said. "I know her. She's not the one we have to worry about. Besides Scott, do you really think Lance could do anything to her if she didn't want to? Considering her powers?" 

"You have a point," Scott said. "And that goes for Remy and Rogue too."

"It's Althea and Toad I'm worried about," Jean said. "Not to mention Ray and Tabitha." 

"Yeah those guys do tend to get a bit," Scott was searching for the right word. "Out of control." 

As to illustrate his words Althea tackled Todd and started to tickle him wildly. Their eyebrows raised as they also started kissing each other. "Hey cool it you too!" Jean said. 

"Us cool it?" Althea looked at him. "Who died and made you guys the moral majority?" 

"Look we just think you guys shouldn't you know, get out of control," Scott said. "I mean what about the little kids?" 

"You'd better be only talking about the baby," Jamie overheard the conversation. 

"Look we just don't want anyone to take advantage of the situation that's all," Jean said. 

"Oh give me a break!" Rogue rolled her eyes heavenward. 

"Some of you aren't exactly what I call trustworthy," Scott glared at Lance. 

"Oh yeah," Lance snapped. "Like I'm really gonna attack Kitty with all these people around! I do have some self control you know!"

"Since when?" Scott snapped. "You Brotherhood maniacs are never in control! All you do is cause trouble!" 

"Here we go again!" Remy groaned. 

"Oh really?" Pietro smirked. "Hey Tabby, can I borrow a couple of your little time bombs?" 

"Be my guest," She made some and handed them to him. Pietro ran over to Scott and dropped them down the back of his bathing suit.

"YEOW!" Scott screamed, running into the water. Everyone on the beach laughed at the episode.

Well almost everyone. "You should be ashamed of yourselves!" Jean shouted as she ran after him. 

"Well that was fun for everyone!" Todd laughed. 

"I have to admit," Kurt chuckled. "Those two did have it coming to them."

"Yeah I mean did they really think we'd all be so horny we'd all go jump on each other in the bushes?" Tabitha laughed. 

"That was priceless!" Lance laughed.

"Just like the old days!" Todd agreed. 

"Remember the water fight we had when Tabby overflowed the bathtub?" Fred said.

"That was fun!" Todd said. 

"Well if it's water fights you want," Althea said mischievously. She caused a small wave to drench Fred, Lance and Todd. 

"AGGH!" Lance yelped. "That's cold!" 

"Hey that's not funny!" Fred snapped.

"Why did you drench me?" Todd wailed.   
"Can I help it if you're so cute when you're wet?" Althea smiled sweetly. 

"That's it!" Todd tackled Althea and they splashed in the water for a bit. "How do you like them apples! Huh!" 

"Meanie!" Althea laughed as they splashed. 

"Hey she's turning blue!" Fred notice. 

"Yeah well," Althea looked at herself. "I have a slight chemical reaction that takes place when my skin hits salt water. Doesn't hurt. In fact, it helps camouflage me in darker waters." 

"Like freaky!" Kitty laughed.

"She's not the only one!" Kurt pointed. "Look at Toad!" 

Todd stood there, his skin a light green, pouting. "Not one word fuzzball!" Todd snapped. "Not one word!" 

"I'm not saying anything," Kurt smirked. 

"Ha! I am!" Pietro stuck his tongue out. "He looks more like a frog now than a toad!"

"You know Pietro you should cool off," Althea began to form a water globe using the water from the ocean. 

"Wait!" Tabitha said. " It would be a shame if he got his uniform wet." 

"Not a bad idea!" Jubilee snickered. "That goes for the other guys well!"

"Uh oh!" Pietro gulped. 

"Run for it!" Evan shouted. 

Everyone was chasing each other. Even baby Claudius got into the act, running around laughing, chasing people at random. Soon everyone chased everyone into the water for a huge water fight to end all water fights.

************************************************************************

Scott had taken refuge in a grove near the waterfall. Jean came to see if he was all right. 

Scott grumbled. "Remind me to kill the Brotherhood if and when we get rescued."

"We'll get rescued," Jean told him. "Don't worry." She had brought a blanket as well as some medical supplies. "Let me take a look at you," She indicated that he lie down. 

"Look I'm fine," Scott told her. "Aside from my butt being sore." 

"Well then let me look at it," She reached for his bathing suit. 

"WHAT?" Scott yelped. "No way!" 

"Oh for crying out loud Scott," Jean rolled her eyes. 

"I don't want you to look at my butt!" Scott snapped. "It's too embarrassing!" 

"So you'd rather suffer instead of being helped?" Jean snapped. 

"Yes," Scott flinched at the pain. 

"You are so stubborn!" Jean snapped. 

"Yes now go away!" Scott said.

"Look what's it going to take to let me help you?" Jean asked.

"Nothing!" Scott said. "If it was you in this position you wouldn't be too thrilled!" 

Jean raised an eyebrow. "So if I was hurt and had to be undressed, you'd undress me?"

"I did not say that!" Scott said quickly.

"You had a very interesting mental image for a second," Jean said.

"I can't help that! I'm a guy!" Scott snapped. 

"Okay," Jean sighed. "If this is what it takes for me to help you fine," She started to unhook her bathing suit top.

"Uh, Jean what are you doing?" Scott's voice grew higher.

"If I take off my top and let you look at me, then you won't be embarrassed about me looking at you," She said.

"NONONONO!" Scott waved. "Don't do that!" 

"Why not?" Jean asked. 

"Jean that's going to make me feel even more embarrassed!" He yelped. "Okay! Okay! I'll do it! Just don't…Just keep your bathing suit on!" He lay down on the towel and reluctantly pulled down his bathing suit enough to expose his butt. 

"Well I didn't think I was that unattractive," Jean frowned as she checked him over.

"You're not! It's just…that's not how I pictured our first time would be," Scott groaned. "Seeing each other I mean." 

"Ah so you have had fantasies about us having sex!" Jean smiled.

"Geeze Jean! How am I supposed to answer that?" Scott groaned. "Of course I have… I mean if I have a girlfriend I'm going to have…I mean! Are you done yet?" He was clearly embarrassed with this conversation. 

"Scott will you calm down! It's not like I haven't had fantasies either!" Jean snapped. "And your butt's fine by the way!" 

He pulled up his bathing suit and got up. He looked at her. She blushed. "I mean, it is normal. We are dating. And…Haven't you ever wanted to…look?"

Scott nodded. Jean turned red. Then she removed her top. Scott stared at her. "Maybe being stranded wasn't such a bad thing after all," Scott said. He sat back down next to her. 

Jean smiled. "I did have this one fantasy about us stranded on an island." 

Scott blinked. _Okay I take it back, _He thought as she pulled the blanket over them. _Getting stranded is the best thing that has ever happened to me! _

Up in the trees Polly chuckled to himself as the young lovers united for the first time. "Who's chaperoning the chaperones?" It giggled as it flew away. 


	74. The Party's Over

**The Party's Over**

Morning broke over the group of teenagers. Several groups had snuggled together for warmth and comfort. There were one or two couples sleeping alone. Lance and Kitty was one of them. Lance looked down at Kitty, lying asleep in his arms. The blanket was wrapped around her body. He was wrapped up in a separate blanket. He lightly stroked her hair. She looked so peaceful and happy. Just having her near him outweighed any sexual pleasure that could have happened if they were alone. For Lance, the simple act of cuddling was enough for him. 

Kitty stirred awake. She looked at Lance in a happy daze. Then she sat up. "Oh wait I forgot. I'm mad at you." 

"You weren't so mad last night," Lance pointed out. "And it's not like I took advantage of you or anything. Refresh my memory Kitty, just how did my uniform fall off?" 

"Well you were soaking wet and you refused to take it off," She pouted. "I had to phase it off you." 

"My point," Lance smirked.

"It's not like I saw you naked or anything!" She grew red. "You had your underwear on and I made you put on that shirt I found."

"Yes and what happened after that?" Lance smiled. 

"Well you looked so cold all curled up and I got you a blanket and I already had a blanket," She groaned. 

"So you do forgive me!" Lance chirped. 

"Well I'm not gonna forgive you if you two don't shut up," Todd grumbled. He and Althea were curled up together underneath A blanket of their own not too far from them. 

"Kept us up half the night with your yakking," Althea grumbled. 

"You two could have slept somewhere else you know," Kitty snapped. 

"And have her attack me in the middle of the night?" Todd said. "No way!" 

"I wouldn't have done that," Althea told him.

"Better safe than sorry," Todd said. 

"Where's my uniform?" Lance looked around.

"Over there," Kitty pointed to it. 

Lance groggily got up and picked it up. "The zipper's stuck!" He groaned. 

"Oh come on," Kitty rolled her eyes and got up. "Let me help you with it."

"Not in front of everyone!" Lance muttered.

"Fine we'll go back here behind the bushes," Kitty sighed and led him away. 

"I thought they'd never leave," Todd groaned. Then he started kissing Althea. 

"Who's attacking who?" Althea giggled. "Not that I'm complaining, mind you." 

At that moment Scott and Jean walked into the camp and saw the sight. "What the heck are you doing with her?" Scott shouted.

"And good morning to you too Scott," Althea groaned. 

"All right!" Scott shouted to the group. "Everybody up!" 

"Somebody shut him up," Tabitha disentangled herself from a sea of bodies.

"What went on here last night?" Jean snapped.

"Don't you remember?" Evan said groggily. 

"Relax fearless leader," Bobby groaned. "Nobody had sex last night."

That was when Lance and Kitty came out from the bushes. Everyone looked at them. "Then again…" Tabitha quipped.

"She was just helping me with my uniform," Lance told them. 

"Unfortunately for you Scooter he's telling the truth," Todd told them. "We heard the whole thing." 

"You'd better be," Scott glared at Lance. 

"Calm down Scott," Althea said. "We all just horsed around in the water then we huddled together for warmth. No funny business happened. Despite what the popular media portrays we do have some control over our hormones you know."

"Says the girl who likes to walk in on people while they take showers," Jean grumbled. 

"One guy," Althea said. "And that was curiosity. Besides we were all in sight of each other. Do you really think we'd all go have a sex orgy or something?" 

"Yeah even I'm not that uninhibited," Tabitha groaned. 

"I'm not so sure," Scott glared daggers at Lance. 

"Oh for crying out loud Summers nothing happened!" Lance groaned. 

"Yeah who are you to talk?" Polly whistled. "You and Red were rolling around a bit in the dunes last night!" 

"WHAT?" Althea yelped. "You mean those two were…?"

"They didn't!" Kitty squealed.

"They did!" Polly squawked. "Jean couldn't wait to get his shorts off!" 

"Way to go Jean," Tabitha gave her the thumbs up. 

"Well, well, well," Todd smirked. "Now what exactly were you saying last night about being in control?" 

"Okay you know we want details!" Amara said. 

"I told you they were a bunch of hypocrites," Pietro snickered. 

"I'm amazed they waited this long," Fred scoffed. 

"So much for self control," Lance laughed. 

Everyone started to snicker and make comments. Scott and Jean turned red. "I really hate that bird," Jean grumbled. 

"Well anyone for breakfast?" Todd hopped up. "I know Scott and Jean have worked up an appetite!" 

"Hey look!" Amara pointed to the ocean. "There's a boat!" 

"Jubilee send out some signals!" Bobby shouted.

"Already ahead of you!" She shouted using her abilities. Soon a boat with Shipwreck and Logan came up. 

"What happened to you guys?" Shipwreck gave his eldest daughter a hug as they came on shore.

"We had a little run in with the Brotherhood," She smiled. "Nothing serious." 

"Well I guess you did have some survival training after all," Logan smirked. "Time for you kids to go back to the base." 

"Oh great," Pietro folded his arms.

"What? You're not happy we're being rescued?" Kurt asked.

"Not really," Lance sighed. "Cause you know sooner or later Magneto is going to find out about this. He ain't gonna be too happy."

"How right you are Avalanche," A familiar voice boomed from up above. To their shock they saw Magneto floating in the sky. Surrounding him were three metal spheres. 

"Oh great," Fred gulped. "Our ride's here." 

"And who the Sam Hill are you bub?" Shipwreck growled. 

"I know who he is!" Quinn said cheerfully. 

"Really child?" Magneto asked.

"Uh huh! You're a big bucket head!" Quinn said cheerfully. 

"Very amusing," Magneto growled. "But not correct." 

"Actually I think my sister is pretty accurate," Althea snapped. "You're the jerk that hurt Toad and left him for dead!" 

Magneto looked at Toad. "I must admit I had little faith in your survival, Toad." Magneto said. "But I did intend to go back for you. If you had proven worthy of survival." 

"Yeah right! I'm through listening to you and your lies!" Todd shouted. "I remember what Mystique did to me! Or should I say Dr. Park? That's the name she used at that psycho ward where she did experiments on me!" 

"You must be mistaken," Magneto said.

"The hell I am," Todd snarled. "It wasn't enough that she allowed her own kid to be a guinea pig, but you helped you with god only knows how many other experiments!" 

"Magneto wouldn't do that," Fred said. "Would he?" 

"You're nuts!" Lance snapped. "That's the only explanation!"

"An explanation he wants you to believe!" Todd shouted. 

"You've been brainwashed by those damn humans!" Pietro shouted. "Just like your girlfriend over there!"

"Girlfriend?" Magneto pondered. He looked at Althea. "Interesting." 

"Why do you think we took off?" Pietro told him. 

"Get in!" Magneto ordered. "We'll discuss this later." 

The Brotherhood went into the metal spheres without question. Magneto used his powers to send them away. "Now what do I do with you?" He looked at them. 

"The question is what are we gonna do with you!" Althea snapped. 

"Take it easy kiddo," Shipwreck stood in front of her. "Don't even think about laying your greasy hands on my family!" 

"I must admit I am impressed that a mere human could sire so many mutants," Magneto said. 

"There's nothing 'mere' about my father," Althea growled. "Or any of us! How'd you like a demo of my powers!" Suddenly a huge wave rose out of the sea. It instantly changed into a waterspout and attacked Magneto. He barely managed to make a shield for himself. Still he got wet. 

"Always said you were all wet!" Logan snapped. 

"Get out of here," Althea snarled. "Before I show you how powerful I really am!" 

"I was hoping our first meeting would have gone a bit better," Magneto replied. "I can see how attached you are to these Joes." 

"You're head is gonna be unattached to your shoulders if you don't get out of here!" Rogue snapped.

"You think you can take us all on?" Scott readied his visor. "Go ahead and try!" 

"Another time perhaps," Magneto rose higher and flew away. 

"Why do I have the feeling that's not the last we're gonna hear from him?" Shipwreck grumbled.

"You got that right," Logan said. "Let's take the kids back to the base." 

They went home in celebration. All the X-Men seemed happy. But not everyone on the boat was celebrating. Althea went over to Todd. He was sitting by himself. She sat down and hugged him. "I'm sorry," She whispered in his ear. 

He looked in her eyes and stroked her hair. He buried his face in her neck for comfort. "You're gonna think I'm stupid for saying this," He choked. "But for a while…I felt like I had my family again. I was happy we were all together." 

"It's not so stupid," She said. 

"I told them the truth," Todd sighed. "Why didn't they believe me?" 

"There was nothing else you could have done," Althea told him gently.

"I know," Todd said softly. "I just wish they'd wise up before the worst happens." 

**Coming soon: Magneto's dastardly plans are just beginning! And one mutant will soon find himself at the center of them, forced to endure a journey of pain, madness and self-discovery! Who is it? What will happen? Stay tuned! **


	75. Dreams and Schemes

**Dreams and Schemes**

"I can't believe that you disobeyed me!" Magneto snapped. "What were you thinking?"

"I thought I could get some information on those mutants sir," Pietro said. "And I did! A lot of information!" 

"By having a beach party with them?" Magneto snapped.

"Okay it was a bit unorthodox but still…" Pietro gulped.

"I thought you were trained better than that," Magneto snapped. "Once again you disappoint me." 

"Please sir," Pietro looked at him. "I…I just wanted to help you."

"And you did," Magneto said. "Which is the only reason you and the others will not be punished for your transgression. Have I made myself clear?"

"Very clear sir," Pietro nodded. "It…It won't happen again." 

"It had better not," Magneto glowered. "Now get out of my sight!" Pietro did so. 

"Don't you think you're a little hard on the boy?" Emma Frost entered the room.

"Someone has to teach that boy how to be a leader, since he has no obvious natural talent," Magneto said. "It's for his own good. What are you doing here?"

"I am aware you and your forces have had a recent encounter with the Joes," Emma told him. "I've come from the Circle with a message. Do not engage them again if you can help it." 

"Really?" Magneto seemed amused. "Why? Don't tell me that your precious Circle of Power is worried about my health?"

"More like worried about your interference," She snapped. "We have a few projects that we'd like to keep quiet. One of them is the Cytorak gem project you helped us on recently."

"You got your crystals as well as I," Magneto told her. "What's to worry about?" 

"We just don't want the Joes to get wind of it, just yet," She told him. 

"You are overcautious," Magneto told her. "How could those people figure out what your plans for them are?" 

"Do not underestimate the Joes," Emma told him. "They are very resourceful." 

"Still, they are after all only human." 

"The fact that you dismiss the Joes as a threat because they are human proves that you have no concept of reality," Emma snarled. "Let me enlighten you. Stronger organizations than yours have tried repeatedly to take down or defeat GI Joe only to fail. And I'm not just talking about Cobra. They have an uncanny knack for doing the impossible as well as showing up in the right place at the wrong time! Their unorthodox methods are what make them extremely dangerous! Even former members of the Circle have tried and failed!" 

"They can't be that dangerous to us," Magneto scoffed.

"They are!" Emma told him. "Which is why we need to avoid them as much as possible. I know you Magneto. Your curiosity will get the better of you if you are not careful." 

"You came all this way to simply warn me about a group of lunatic soldiers?" Magneto asked.

"I came with a message from the Circle. Do not engage the Joes until the time is right," Emma said. "A frontal assault would be disastrous!" 

"Bah," Magneto waved. "All right Emma. If that's what you are so worried about then fine. I will not plan a frontal assault on them."

"Good," Emma said. "That's all I needed to know. Of course I have no choice but to take your word for it, seeing how your helmet shields your thoughts from me." 

"I must say it is amusing to see the great and all powerful Inner Circle afraid of a few humans," Magneto chuckled. 

"Do not mistake common sense for fear Magneto," Emma told him. "Don't worry. One day we will be ready to take on the Joes and bring those mutants into the fold. With enough persuasion they will help us with our dreams of conquest. But that day is not close. Not yet. You must be patient Magneto. Try to have some restraint, please?" She started to walk away. "Oh and Sabertooth that goes for you as well." She left the room.

Sabertooth came out of the shadows. "Never did like telepaths," He grumbled. 

"You don't like anyone who's sneakier than you," Magneto pointed out. 

"You're really not gonna listen to Miss High and Mighty are you?" Sabertooth asked.

"Of course not," Magneto smiled. "It's just that we have more important things to concern us at the moment." 

"Yeah like that Project Evolution," Sabertooth said. "When are you gonna restore me to my ultimate form?"

"Patience Sabertooth," Magneto said. "Your time will come. You will be restored to your ultimate form permanently soon enough. But first there are other more immediate projects I must work on." He turned on the scanner and watched a training simulation. Lance was on the screen.

"The kid's got potential," Sabertooth nodded. "I have to admit." 

"It's time to put Alvers to the final test," Magneto said. "If he is worthy of being a chosen member, he will survive." 

****


	76. Defiance

**Defiance**

That day began as any other. Training. Yet during the training Magneto halted it. "Avalanche I want you to get into your uniform." He told him. "I have a mission especially for you." 

Lance quickly changed into his uniform out of his training clothes and followed Magneto to the hanger bay. He entered the spherical ball and waited to be transported to who knew where. He hated these rides, the motion of the ball as well as not knowing where they were going did nothing to appease the pit in his stomach. When he emerged from the darkness, he saw that they were alone in the middle of a desert. 

"See that tower?" Magneto pointed to a lone tower. It appeared to be some sort of satellite receiver. Barbed wire and fences to keep people out surrounded it. 

"What is it?" Lance asked. "Some kind of military outpost?" 

"As far as you are concerned it's your target. Destroy it!" Magneto commanded. Lance used his powers to crack open the earth and destroyed the tower with ease. "Very good." 

"Piece of cake," Lance smiled. "Nothing to it."

"Yes, now it's time for you to try something else," Magneto took out a syringe. 

"What is that?" Lance looked at the syringe suspiciously. 

"This will make you stronger," Magneto said. "It's something I made to help guide your evolution. Once this is in your system, you will be unstoppable." 

"Wait a minute," Lance looked at that syringe suspiciously. "Something's not right here." 

"Don't worry," Magneto told him. "This won't hurt." 

"N-no," Lance backed away. "I don't really want that. I've been getting along okay without it." 

"No you haven't," Magneto told him. He used his powers to take hold of the metal parts of Lance's uniform and brought him close enough for him to inject him. 

"Ow!" Lance yelped. "What did you do **that** for? I told you I didn't need it! I'm strong enough without those drugs!" 

"I think I should give you some of this as well," Magneto took out a second vial. He injected Lance with it as well. He tossed Lance to the ground. 

Lance suddenly felt very groggy. Like his brain had suddenly fogged up. "What did you do to me?" He moaned as he got to his feet. He held his head with one hand. A dull pain started to surge through his head. 

"I told you. I gave you something to enhance your abilities as well as purge your mind of useless emotion." 

"What?" Lance yelped. 

"You've been dwelling on that Shadowcat for far too long," Magneto told him. "Its time you forgot her. You will be far better off. All you have to do is give into the drug."

Struggling to hold onto reality something clicked into Lance's mind. "You've been doing this for a long time haven't you?" Lance snapped. "To all of us! Erasing our memories, trying to make us forget what you did! Drugging us…" 

"Your evolution needs to be guided," Magneto told him. "It's for the best." 

Lance's eyes narrowed. His vision was getting blurry. "Toad was right wasn't he? You've been making mutants be your personal super soldiers haven't you? That's why you didn't want us to talk to those others you brought in. So we wouldn't know what you were doing until it was too late. Like we're some sort of guinea pigs or something!"

"I do what I must if the mutant race is to survive," Magneto told him.

"Survive!" Lance laughed hysterically. "That's rich! Why worry about humans? It's you we have to worry about! How can you possibly justify experimenting on your own kind?"

"I'm advancing our species to a new level!" Magneto growled.

"Bull!" Lance snapped. "You're worse than any human! The X-Men and Toad aren't traitors to mutants! You are!" 

"Quiet. Or do you need another lesson in obedience?" Magneto growled. 

"NO!" Lance screamed. The ground around him started to shake. "I'm through listening to you! And so are the others when I tell them what you did!" 

"You will tell them nothing," Magneto said coldly. Using his powers he wrapped a stray piece of barbed wire around Lance, binding him tightly. 

"N-No!" Lance screamed through the pain as the barbs dug into his skin. He fought to hold onto his mind despite the drugs and the pain.

"Yes," Magneto told him. "You belong to me. You will do what I command. I am your master. You are mine."

Lance knew that if he gave in now, he would never be free. Never have a mind of his own again. Never be with his beloved Kitty ever again. "NOBODY OWNS ME!" Lance screamed, his powers shattering the earth around him. "I DON'T BELONG TO YOU OR ANYONE! I'M FREE AND I'M GOING TO STAY THAT WAY!" 

"Fool!" Magneto snapped, rising into the air. "Stop shaking the ground! Do you really think you can hurt me this way?" 

"I can try!" Lance snapped, sending tremors far deep into the earth. The nearby mountain cliffs shook apart scattering rocks everywhere. Even Magneto had trouble dodging it. Magneto increased the pressure on the wire even tighter, making his wounds even deeper. Still Lance refused to stop. He fought through the pain and kept fighting. 

Even as the earth quaked and shattered around him, Lance held on. He reasoned if he could still feel some pain, he could still fight. He screamed in agony, tears openly running down his face as Magneto tossed him around like a rag doll. Still he refused to give up. He would not let him win. 

"This is your final chance," Magneto warned him. "Submit or perish!"

"GO TO HELL!" Lance screamed.

"I warn you," Magneto told him. "You are not irreplaceable. Soon I will have others in my organization, thanks to the Joes. Make your choice." 

"I…SAID…GO…TO …HELL! NO!" Lance screamed in agony. 

"So be it," Magneto intoned, tightening the wire. He started to squeeze the very life out of him. Lance used all of his remaining strength to his powers. The mountain cliffs fell over him and his entire world turned to darkness. 

Magneto floated down and looked at the rubble. All he could see was a pile of rocks where Lance had been. Only his helmet was left. It had cracked open. "Fool," Magneto cursed under his breath. "Too stubborn for his own good." He left the scene, leaving Lance entombed in the rubble. 


	77. The Outcast

**The Outcast**

Pietro sighed as he walked out of the training room. At least this time he wasn't beaten up. Today might be a good day after all. 

"Quicksilver, report to the medical unit, now," Magneto's voice came over the intercom.

Pietro ran instantly, knowing that tone of voice. "You wanted to see me sir?" He asked. 

"Yes Pietro," Magneto said. "I'm afraid I have distressing news. It seems Avalanche was not as strong as I hoped he would be." 

"What do you mean?" Pietro felt a pang in the pit of his stomach. 

"I had developed a special serum to help Alvers reach his full potential. Needless to say, he could not survive before his full potential could be reached." 

"Lance is…dead?" Pietro felt as if he had been hit by a ton of bricks. "What happened?"

"He was weak," Magneto told him. "He did not survive the process. No matter. I've made different modifications to some other enhancers. These shall be much better for giving your powers a boost. You and Pyro will test them. The Scarlet Witch is already too strong for her own good. Some drugs to keep her temper under control will suffice. And Blob is strong enough as he is." 

"You're going to use us as guinea pigs?" Pietro said. 

"I'm doing this to make you stronger," Magneto snapped. "So you won't be so weak! These will make you better. Unless you wish to continue to be a disappointment to me?"

Pietro shook his head. "I thought not," Magneto said. "Now roll up your sleeve." 

What Pietro really wanted to do was run out of the room and bawl his eyes out. The thought of never seeing his friend again hurt more than he could bear. 

But Pietro did not dare do anything but roll up his sleeve and await the injection. 

************************************************************************

Night had fallen on the desert. All seemed peaceful. But it wasn't. Suddenly a massive rumbling split a huge pile of rocks open wide. With a scream Lance managed to crawl out from under them. Somehow he had managed to remove the wire that Magneto had bound him with. He got to his feet. He was cut in several places, bruised and battered, his uniform in tatters. But he was alive. 

Lance looked around him. He was alone. There was no one around. He just stood there, dazed and confused at what had happened to him. "Where am I?" He asked aloud. He couldn't remember. "Hello? Is there anyone here?" 

He staggered forward, looking for someone, anyone to help him. His throat was parched. His body sore. His head in agony and his mind was still under the effects of the drugs Magneto had given him. 

"This really hasn't been your day has it?"

Lance whirled around and saw a small animal sitting before him. Lance opened his mouth to say something but no sound came out.

"Oh I see you've lost your ability to speak as well as most of your uniform," The animal quipped sarcastically. It sounded exactly like Pietro. 

"A…A talking dog?" Lance sputtered.

"Hell-oo!" The animal snapped. "I'm a coyote! Not too bright are you?" 

"What's a talking coyote doing out in the middle of nowhere?" Lance mused. 

"Well think about it," The coyote snapped. "What's the last thing you remember?"

Lance's eyes narrowed. "Magneto…he doped me up with some stuff and then he tried to kill me." 

"Right, now you have some weird drugs in your body as well as a concussion from nearly being flattened. What does that tell you?"

"This isn't real is it?" Lance said. "I'm imagining things."

"Duh!" The coyote said sarcastically. "Finally! That's right Einstein, I'm just a figment of your imagination. A product of that empty head of yours. And it only took you how many minutes to figure it out?" 

"Where did I get the idea for a coyote?" Lance looked at him rather stupidly. 

"Well it could be from those American Indian stories you read in class," The Coyote said. "Oh wait, you didn't do that. Knowing you, you probably picked it up from 'The Simpsons.' I guess I'm supposed to be some sort of spirit guide for you. Yeah like that will work." 

"Why do you sound like Pietro?" 

"Beats me, it's your subconscious," The coyote told him.

"I've gone nuts haven't I?" 

"Oh yeah. Hey where are you going?" The coyote called out as Lance walked away. 

"I'm getting out of here! What does it look like?" Lance snapped. 

"You're going the wrong way! The only way to get out is to go back in!"

"And what the hell does that mean?"

"How should I know? It's your mind!" 

"I am out of here," Lance groaned, walking away. 

"Sorry, can't get rid of me that easily," The coyote trotted beside him.

"Go away." 

"Let's recap your life for the past few weeks," The coyote said. "You've lost your home, the girl you loved, your friends, and you nearly lost your life as well as your mind. Not that you had much of a brain anyway." 

"Shut up!" Lance snapped.

"You are now lost and alone in the desert. With no one around to help you. You'll probably die of either thirst or exposure, if the drugs don't kill you. Or make you even more psychotic…" 

"Shut up!"

"Not that it isn't much of a difference anyway. You always were a few rocks shy of a full load to begin with. Have to be to fall for a ditz like Pryde." 

"JUST SHUT UP!" Lance shouted. "OR I'LL…" 

"Or what stupid? I'm in your mind! What are you gonna do? Wish me away? Oh I am so scared! Not gonna happen. Truth Time Lancey! You can't hide anymore! You are one screwed up jerk!" 

"I could have told you that," A man stepped out of the shadows.

"No! It can't be you!" Lance cringed. "You're dead!"

"Ha! So are you in a bit!" The man laughed. "I always said you were useless! Weak little coward!"

"No!" Lance shouted. "I remember you! Marsh! That drug addict foster father from hell! No! No! You died in that fire!"

"A fire you started," Marsh sneered.

"No!" Lance snapped. "I didn't do that! That's not what happened! You were going to hurt me again!"

"A beating you deserved!" Marsh snarled. 

"No kid deserves those kind of beatings!" Lance shouted. "I just threw that candle to get you away from me! I didn't mean for it to catch fire to the house!"

"But you did mean to knock me out with a baseball bat huh?" Marsh snarled. "You left me to die!" 

"You didn't give me any choice," Lance snapped. "I wasn't going to let you touch me again you pervert!" 

"You loved it and you know it," Marsh sneered. 

"I was ten years old and scared!" He shouted. "And I'm not gonna let you hurt me anymore!" He focused his powers and sent a shockwave at him. The man dissipated. "You can't hurt me anymore! Understand!" 

"You're shouting at nothing stupid!" The coyote snapped. "It's just your mind!" 

Lance blinked. There was silence. "I didn't mean to do it," Lance said. "I just wanted him to leave me alone."

"Well you got your wish," The coyote quipped. "Don't see anybody around here now do you?"

"Oh shut up!" Lance started to run away from the coyote. He ran for what seemed like forever. Then he collapsed, and started to pant. 

"What took you so long?" The coyote was waiting for him. It was sitting in a lounge chair, drinking lemonade. 

"How the…?" Lance got up.

"Hello?" The coyote groaned. "I'm in your mind! You can't run from me!" 

"What do you want with me?" Lance shouted.

"To be honest I haven't a clue," It told him. "But it is interesting tormenting you. That little incident with Marsh does explain why you never jumped Kitty's bones." 

"Shut up!" Lance shouted. "Don't you talk that way about her!" 

"Okay, okay," It said. "Lighten up! Sheesh! Hey let's go back to the day you discovered you were a mutant! That ought to be fun!" 

"No!" Lance snapped. He closed his eyes and shouted. "Just get out of my head and go away!" 

He opened his eyes. He wasn't in the desert anymore. He was in a bedroom somewhere. "Huh?" He looked around. 

"Lance get your lazy ass out of bed!" A gruff voice shouted.

"But my head hurts," A small voice whined. Lance looked and saw himself at fifteen. 

"Your butt's gonna hurt if you don't get out of that bed and go to school!" The voice snapped.

"Yes sir," The fifteen-year-old Lance sighed and got ready. 

"My head was killing me," Lance sighed. "It had been hurting for weeks on and off. My foster father thought I was being lazy. My foster mother thought I was just defective or something. No one seemed to listen or understand what I was going through. Especially the teachers at school."

Suddenly they were transported to a school hallway. "Alvers get out of here and report to the principal!" The teacher yelled. 

"Okay, okay you don't have to yell," The young Lance muttered as he left the room. He went to the nurse's office.

"What do you want now?" The nurse asked.

"My head hurts," Little Lance whined.

"Again? Sheesh kid what's wrong with you?" She handed him some crackers. 

"Thanks a lot," Little Lance grumbled. He went outside the school. 

"Well if it isn't little Lancie Poo," A huge bully came out with two of his cronies. 

"Go away Bernard!" Little Lance snapped back. "I'm not really in the mood for this!"

"That's Rocko to you squirt!" He snarled grabbing him by the shirt. "Boys I think it's time we had a little fun with this loser!"

"Leave me alone!" Lance shouted. Suddenly the earth began to shake. 

"What the heck's going on?" One of Rocko's cronies yelped. 

"AN EARTHQUAKE!" Rocko dropped Lance and ran away panicking. "RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" His cronies followed, leaving Lance behind.

"What the…" Little Lance looked at his hands. "No…Can't be." He focused on his hands. He pointed them to the ground. Suddenly the earth moved, splitting into a huge crack. Frightened, Lance backed away and ran around the corner. Only to run into the principal.

"Well if it isn't Mr. Alvers," He snarled. "You are in such trouble mister! Faking sickness to get out of class! I think it's time we had a talk with your foster parents!" 

"Things got even worse when I got home," Lance sighed. "I expected to get beaten up or something. I almost wish I did." 

They were back at the kitchen. The younger Lance was being yelled at. "What is the matter with you?" The man shouted at him. "Do you want to be a troublemaker all your life? Huh? Do you want to be a screw up?"

"I'm sorry," Young Lance looked down. "I can't help it. My head hurt and…"

"Oh for crying out loud not this again!" The man groaned.

"I think something really is seriously wrong with him," The woman said. "Maybe he's not right in the head. It would be like them to stick us with a sick kid." 

"I'm not surprised!" The man screamed. "What a useless excuse for a person he is!" 

"Please stop!" Young Lance screamed, his headache was getting worse. "Just stop yelling at me! I can't take it! It makes my head hurt!" Suddenly the room violently shook. The next thing Lance knew plaster was falling from a crack in the ceiling and there was a hole in the middle of the floor.

"Wh-what happened?" The man looked at Lance in horror. "You did that didn't you?"

"N-No!" Young Lance blinked. "I didn't! Really!"

"Don't lie to me boy!" The man snarled. "How long has this been going on behind our backs! Answer me!"

"It…It just happened today! I swear!" Young Lance started crying. "I swear! I didn't mean to do it!" 

"What the hell are you?" The man shouted. "Some kind of freak? You destroyed my house!" 

"I knew there was something wrong with that boy!" The woman screamed. 

"Miz Anderson," Young Lance reached out for her. 

"Don't touch me!" She screamed. "Get away from me!" 

"You stay away from us you freak!" The man went to a drawer and pulled a gun on him. "Now get in that closet and stay in there!" 

Frightened, Young Lance did so. The man locked him in. "God Howard what are we gonna do?" The woman asked.

"I'll tell you what we're gonna do! We're gonna call Social Services and remove that…that thing right now! I am not having it under this house for one more night!" 

Young Lance sobbed, putting his head in his hands as he sank to the floor. Lance sat down beside his younger self. "That was the beginning of it all," Lance said. "Social Services got me that very night. They thought I'd just done some kind of mischief. They didn't believe the Andersons. Who would? I got shuffled from place to place after that. I was lucky if I stayed in a place a few months. I tried to hide it at first, but things happened and when they found out, people freaked."

"I'm sorry," The coyote said. 

"The worst part was that no one wanted to touch me," Lance said softly. "They were afraid to even hit me. Like they could catch some disease just by getting too close. It didn't matter how good my grades were. Or how nice I tried to be. No one wanted to come near me. And I didn't blame them. So I pretended that I didn't want anyone. I got cold and I got mean. I no longer cared what people thought about me. So I just did what I wanted. I figured if I was doomed to get in trouble anyway, why not make the most of it?" 

Lance closed his eyes. When he opened them he was back in the desert. He shivered. "I'm cold," Lance shivered against the night air. "I thought deserts were supposed to be hot?" 

"That's during the daytime genius," The coyote quipped. "Don't worry. The sun will be out soon enough to roast you to a crisp soon enough." 

"Well that's a happy thought," Lance groaned. He got up. "Now what do I do? Where do I go now?"

"Don't ask me, I'm just a coyote." 

"Some help you are," Lance muttered as he walked away. The sun rose and the heat increased dramatically. Lance kept stumbling across the desert, occasionally swearing at the coyote hallucination. 

"Think cool thoughts," The coyote said. "How about this? _One Hundred bottles of beer on the wall, one hundred bottles of beer…" _

"Just shut up!" Lance shouted. "Shut up and go away!"

"But I thought you needed a friend?"

"With a friend like you who needs enemies! Now leave me alone!" 

"Nope! _Take one down and pass it around, Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall! Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall…_

"SHUT UP!" Lance screamed. He felt the earth tremble around him. "I just want to be left alone and think! GO AWAY!" 

The next thing he knew, he was falling. Falling into some dark cave. He landed with a thud. He opened his eyes. Everything was dark. It was much cooler, yet the air around him was stuffy. He couldn't see a thing. 

Lance looked around. "Now what did I imagine?" Everything around him was dark. He felt as if he had fallen into a cave. 

"Uh I hate to break this to you but you didn't imagine this," The coyote said. "Seems Magneto tweaked your powers to be sensitive to the earth. You can do more than make earthquakes now. You can literally move the earth. Right now you are sitting in a self made cavern. A small one, but not bad."

"What does that mean?" Lance looked around. "I can't see anything."

"That's because you closed the hole up," The voice said. "Congratulations! You just buried yourself alive!" 


	78. Rebirth of a Rock Tumbler

**Rebirth of a Rock Tumbler**

"Stuck out here in the middle of nowhere doing desert duty with you," Cross-Country groaned. "The perfect end to a perfect week!"

"Oh shut up," Dusty grumbled. "You're not the only one pining for Cover Girl so don't talk to me!" 

A tall Native American in black approached them. His long black hair flowed in the wind. "What has happened, has happened. You must dwell on the moment instead of the past." 

"You know Spirit ever since you got that new uniform you have an even more Zen like approach to life," Dusty told him. "And I hate it a lot." 

"Oh let's just check out that satellite tracking station and get it over with," Cross-Country grumbled as they drove their motorcycles along the desert. "Some job, driving around the desert babysitting unmanned satellite tracking stations. I mean what could possibly happen?"

"You were saying?" Spirit pointed at the destruction before them. The station was destroyed, covered in rock and twisted metal. There was a huge crater where it used to be. 

"Holy mother of…" Cross-Country's jaw opened. They stopped their vehicles. Spirit, who was the Joe's tracker as well as an accomplished martial artist, began looking for clues. 

"Geeze," Dusty groaned. "What could have done this?"

"I think a more appropriate question is who could have done this," Spirit picked up what was left of Lance's helmet.

"I recognize that!" Dusty said. "That's that fruit bowl one of the Brotherhood wears. I think he's called Avalanche." 

"Please tell me it's because he likes to drive pickup trucks," Cross-Country groaned.

"He makes earth tremors," Spirit said. "I read the file they had on all the Brotherhood members."

"Oh wonderful," Cross-Country groaned. "Well at least Cobra's not responsible for once."

"Some reason that does not make me happy," Dusty frowned. 

"There's something odd about these tracks." Spirit looked. One disappears, but the other ends up under that pile of rocks. Where I found this." 

"What are you saying?" Dusty asked. 

Spirit looked around. "He was buried under here," He indicated the rocks. "And not by choice," He pointed to the barbed wire covered with blood. "He's injured. There's a trail leading out into the desert. He went that way." He started to walk the path Lance left. 

"I don't suppose we could go the other way huh?" Cross-Country grumbled. 

"I guess we'd better follow him," Dusty sighed. 

************************************************************************

"Well this isn't bad, as far as self made graves are concerned…" The imaginary coyote told him. 

"JUST SHUT UP!" Lance screamed. "Let me think. I did this…so I can undo it right?" It was already getting hard to breathe. He put his hands in the dirt. "Have to think…have to focus…." 

He felt some kind of energy pulse through his body. It was like a heartbeat. He felt himself being drawn into the rhythm. Faster and faster it pulsed through his body, becoming stronger, almost overpowering him. Then the images came. Images of creatures and people that lived and died on the desert, what plants grew in it, what the soil was made up of. Centuries of change and erosion flicked through him in seconds. Hundreds of lifetimes of knowledge came to him. 

It was so much. Too much for him to handle. He called out to the earth to help him. To release him from this hold. He felt the ground shift beneath his feet. The dirt passed before his eyes as he was propelled upwards. Faster and faster until he was expelled from his self made prison. 

Lance rose out of the ground with a scream. He gulped in the warm air greedily as soon as he spat out the soil from his mouth and nostrils. "I did it!" He yelled. He looked below him. He was standing on solid ground again. He moved away and laughed at the ground. It was if nothing had ever disturbed it. 

Weakly he sank to his knees. Then he collapsed on the ground, giggling. "I'm alive…I'm alive." He kept repeating that until he passed out. About an hour later he woke up. He woke up groggily. It was hot and he could feel his exposed skin had gotten red with sunburn. He got up and looked around. He could have sworn he had heard something. 

The noise behind him made him turn around. He saw a coyote advancing towards him. "Oh it's you," Lance said. Then he noticed there were other coyotes. "What did you bring your friends here for a party or something?"

The only reply Lance got was a loud snarl. "Why do I get the feeling that this is not good?" Lance gulped as the coyotes advanced. 


	79. Meanwhile Back at the Pit

**Meanwhile Back at the Pit**

While Lance was struggling in the desert, life at the Pit went on as before. Unfortunately. 

"TOAD I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!" Rogue screamed as she and the X-Men chased him down the hallways. All of the X-Men were covered in slime. 

"STOP!" Shipwreck shouted. He and Roadblock were witnessing the chaos. "STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!" 

"Okay what happened this time?" Roadblock groaned. "Toad why are the X-Men covered in slime?" 

"I was talking to Althea," Todd pouted. "About…stuff and they started laughing at me!" He glared at the X-Men.

"I see," Shipwreck shook his head. "Well that explains the slime." 

"Hey it's not our fault he's a baby who keeps crying about his bad dreams!" Evan laughed. 

"Yeah Toad, can't you handle a few bad dreams?" Kurt snickered. 

Todd glared at Kurt. "If you remembered the things your mother and Magneto did to you, you'd have nightmares too!"

"Why you…" Kurt lunged at him. Roadblock stopped him.

"All of you quit it!" Roadblock snapped. "Toad, go talk to Psyche-Out. You need a time out." Todd did so. "And the rest of you, what is wrong with you? You know he's sensitive about that!"

"Yeah well he didn't have to slime us!" Evan snapped. 

"He's a rude, loudmouthed little shrimp!" Rogue snapped. 

"True," Shipwreck said. "But then you all haven't exactly been Princes and Princesses Charmings yourselves now have you? I know you have hard feelings toward each other, but you haven't even given him a chance!"

"He's right," Roadblock said. "That kid's had it harder than you know. He's been through some pretty heavy stuff." 

"Was it real bad?" Kurt suddenly felt guilty. "I mean was that stuff he was talking about true?" 

"Yeah," Roadblock nodded. "It's true. So I don't want any of you picking on him anymore! Understand?" 

The others agreed reluctantly. "But he still slimed us!" Bobby snapped. 

"Which is the only reason none of you are going to get extra KP duty!" Shipwreck told him. 

As the other X-Men complained, Kurt kept silent. He knew how bad he felt when he had learned that he had been experimented on. Still in a way it did settle his mind, at least he now had an explanation of why he looked the way he looked. It wasn't some cruel twist of fate that dictated his appearance. He often wondered what he would have looked like if Mystique hadn't allowed Magneto to change him.

He frowned. If Mystique was willing to do this to her own son, what chance did Toad have? He shuddered inwardly and decided to apologize to Toad. He ported away and looked for him. He found him in the Ninja dojo garden. Sitting there. 

Todd frowned when he smelled brimstone. He didn't have to turn around to know Kurt was there. "What do you want fuzzy?" He snapped. "Come to pick on me some more?"

"No," Kurt sighed as he sat down next to Todd. "I…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

"Yes you did."

"Okay I did, but I wasn't thinking," Kurt looked at Todd. "Were they…really bad?"

"What?" Todd glared at him.

"The things that happened to you?" Kurt asked gently. 

"Yeah," Todd looked away. He sat in silence for a moment. "Just so you know, I don't hate you cause of your mother. I mean it ain't your fault your mom's a psycho."

Kurt was about to retort, then he thought better of it. "Maybe you're right," He sighed. "I mean what kind of mother would do something like that to…? I just don't understand her." 

"What's to understand? She's nuts," Todd spat. "My old man was the same way. He got his kicks torturing me and my mother before…" He shuddered at the memory. "Only he was a drunk, so at least he had some kind of excuse. This idea of better mutants though science stuff? I dunno. I mean, doesn't that kind of go against the whole point of natural evolution?" 

They sat there in silence some more. "I come here to calm down," Todd explained. "It helps sometimes."

"It is peaceful here," Kurt looked around. 

"It also helps when I need some alone time from Althea," Todd smiled. "Don't get me wrong, I love her, but sometimes a guy needs a break you know? I mean I can't just kiss her all day without getting some rest!" 

"Tell me about it," Kurt grinned. "Amanda's always after me! She just can't get enough of me! I guess that's the price I pay for being blue and beautiful!" 

"So have you written to your girlfriend yet?" Todd smirked.

"Oh yeah," Kurt smiled back. "Got some great letters back. With pictures. But I'm not going to show you those."

"Do I look like I need them?" Todd snickered. "Don't answer that." 

"You really are happy here aren't you?" Kurt asked.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Todd asked him. 

"TOAD WHERE ARE YOU?" Beach Head's voice could be heard from a distance. "YOU SLIMED MY DESK AGAIN!" 

"I think I must be going now," Todd got up.

"AND WHICH ONE OF YOU BRATS PUT A SHAVING CREAM BOMB IN MY FOOTLOCKER?" Beach Head screamed.

"I think I'll join you," Kurt followed him. 

************************************************************************

Much later on after a rigorous training session. "Medic!" Evan groaned as he fell flat on his face on a couch. 

"These training sessions are killing me," Bobby groaned. He took off the weights from his arms and legs. 

"Aw come on," Althea said. "These are supposed to be good for you. Makes you stronger."

"How?" Roberto groaned. "I can barely lift my arm after these psycho sessions, let alone throw a punch!" 

"Well I think I'm getting stronger," Ray groaned. "Yesterday I couldn't even lift my finger, now I can!" 

"Where's Wolverine when you need him?" Amara groaned. 

"He and Jinx and Storm went off base for some reason," Jean said. "I think to get some supplies. Plus Storm just can't take being serenaded and propositioned every ten minutes by some of the guys here."

"What I can't take is the pain!" Evan groaned. 

"I'll go get Lifeline to help you guys out," Althea got up and went down the hall to the medical office. There she found Bree the nurse taking care of Peter. "Hey Peter, Bree! What's going on?"

"Hi Althea," Bree smiled. "Just checking out Peter's vitals. He's almost completely cured."

"I'm starting to feel like my old self," He smiled. "Even my strength's come back." 

"That's great! Where's Lifeline?" Althea asked. "We need somebody to keep the gang pacified with their aches and pains." 

"He had to go off base," Bree told her. "Emergency. Anything serious?" 

"Nah," She shrugged. "Just the…"

An alarm interrupted her. "What's going on?"

"We're under attack!" Bree cried out. "Althea you get the kids to the safe area! Peter! Go with her!" 

"Come on Pete!" Althea led him to the others. "Everybody follow me! Now! We're under attack!" They followed her to a room that was heavily secured. The triplets and Claudius were already there. Hawk and Duke were there as well.

"Is that everyone?" Duke asked. 

"Yeah what's going on?" Kitty asked.

"The base is under attack," Duke told her. "You kids need to stay in here until it's over."

"But we can help!" Amara said.

"Yeah give us a chance!" Tabitha said. "We'll show these bad boys who they're messing with!" 

"No! All of you stay below with Althea and the others!" Hawk told them. "Now! That's an order!" They left and closed the door behind them. It made a locking sound.

"They locked us in?" Bobby yelped. 

"It's just a precaution," Althea told him. "Come on let's check out the action on the computer here." She pointed to a computer system with monitors. She turned it on. 

They watched the action from the monitors. "I'd know that slimy face anywhere!" Althea pointed to a familiar face leading the troops attacking the base. 

"The Baroness," Jean's eyes narrowed. 

"Did you GI Jokers really think that we wouldn't go after those mutants?" Baroness shouted. "Attack!"

Cobra HISS tanks and soldiers attacked, but they were easily kept at bay by the Joe forces. Even the Cobra planes seemed reluctant to fight but dodged more than attacked. "Something's not right about this!" Althea said. "Cobra knows it can't breach our defenses! What are they really after? It's got to be some kind of trick? But what?" 

"Whatever it is, they want a fight with us," Scott snapped. "They got it!" 

"But Hawk told us not to go out there!" Todd said. 

"Hey you can do what you want, but we are out of here!" Kurt said. 

"X-Men let's move out!" Scott said. 

"Oh no you don't!" Althea moved to restrain him, but he teleported with Rogue and Scott outside. Kitty phased with Jubilee and Bobby outside. "Guys you're not supposed to go out there!"

"Hey you guys can stay here and miss all the action," Ray said as Jean used her powers to open the door. 

"Yeah I'm itching to get back into the fray again!" Peter whooped. They all left, leaving Todd, Althea and the Triplets. Todd moved to follow them. 

"Toad stay here!" Althea shouted. "I know you want to fight, but something in my gut tells me that that's what Cobra wants!" 

"But we can't just let them go out!" Todd said.

"We're not!" Althea hit the communicator. "General! The X-Men got out!" 

"WHAT?" Hawk shouted.

"They left their post! Toad and I are here with the Triplets, what are your orders?" She asked.

"Stay there!" He shouted. "Dumb kids! They're playing into Cobra's hands! Xavier! Get those kids back inside!"

"I think this might be a good time to let the students show you what they've learned," Xavier told him though telepathy. 

"No! Not this time!" Hawk shouted. "There's something fishy about this attack! They're barely trying to breach our defenses!" 

"Yeah we're holding them off without breaking a sweat," Beach Head snapped. "What gives? How are they gonna get those mutants if they don't do anything?" 

A loud yell got their attention. "Ask a stupid question," Hawk groaned. To his horror the kids were running out and using their powers on the Cobras. "WILL YOU KIDS GET OUT OF HERE?" 

They didn't. Scott used his eyebeams to bring down a few tanks. Kitty phased through several, destroying their guidance systems. Tabitha made dozens of energy bombs and threw them around all over the place. Some of them landed on the Cobra tanks, but most of them blew up the Joe tanks. 

"Great going Boom Boom!" Ray snapped. "You blew up the wrong tanks!"

"Oops," Tabitha blinked. 

"I'm gonna freeze that jet!" Bobby used his powers on a low flying Cobra Jet. Unfortunately he hit the Joe plane that was following it. It crashed into several other jets. Fortunately Kurt and Jean managed to rescue the pilots before they got hurt.

"Whose side are you kids on?" One of the pilots snapped. 

"NOW!" The Baroness commanded. "Release the bugs!" Several Cobras opened some kind of canisters. Suddenly swarms of bugs surrounded the X-Men, stinging them. "OW" Kurt yelped. 

"Man these things are all over the place!" Evan yelped trying to swat them. 

"Ow!" Kitty yelped. She phased allowing the bugs to pass through them. Those that did gave off some sparks and fell to the ground. "What the heck?"

"Don't bother me," Peter grinned as the bugs bounced off his armored form. He grabbed a small motorcycle and threw it at the Cobras, causing them to scatter. 

As quickly as they appeared the bugs retreated. They went into a metal container that a Cobra soldier held open. "DNA retrieval completed Baroness!" He shouted.

"Excellent! Cobra! Retreat! We have what we came for!" She shouted. The Cobras left quickly. 

"Do we follow them?" Cover Girl asked.

"With what?" Hawk fumed, pointing to the destroyed vehicles. 

"Oops," Bobby gulped. 

Althea and Todd came out with a few other soldiers. "Way to go guys!" Althea snapped. "You caused more damage than the Cobras!" 

"So much for you guys protecting us," Todd said. "Who's gonna protect us from you?" 

"Hey look at these things," Kitty picked up one of the destroyed bugs that phased through her. "When I phased they kind of self destructed." 

"What kind of bug is that?" Evan asked.

"That ain't no bug," Todd snapped. "That's one of those Cobra spy robots! They make 'em real small so you don't suspect nothing yo!"

"That's not all it does," Mainframe looked at it. "Look, you can see there's a tiny syringe in each one." 

"What for?" Evan scratched as his arms. "Why would Cobra make metal mosquitoes?" 

"Mosquitoes," Duke said. "That's it! Those things only went after the X-Men! You were the only ones who got bit!" 

"Of course!" Hawk snapped. "How could we have been so stupid! They never intended to capture the X-Men at all!" 

"Then why did they attack the base?" Scott asked. 

"They attacked the base to make sure you would fight them," Duke said.

"Wait, I don't get it," Bobby said. "They didn't want us, but they wanted to fight us? So they could sick metal mosquitoes on us?"

"And draw your blood," Duke said. 

"You did what Cobra wanted you to do!" Hawk fumed. "They weren't after you! They were after your DNA! By disobeying orders, they got a hefty dose of that! Three guesses what Cobra's gonna do with that?" 

"Breed their own mutants," Xavier frowned.

"Got it in one!" Hawk snapped. 

"See! I told you not to disobey orders!" Althea snapped. 

"Glad for once I listened," Todd said. 

"All X-Men are confined to quarters now," Hawk snapped. He glared at Xavier. "All of you." 

"You're putting us under arrest?" Xavier asked.

"More like protective custody," Hawk snarled. "You're recklessness and disregard for your own safety proves my point!" 

"Hey we were just trying help you," Scott snapped.

"You kids can barely take care of yourselves," Hawk snapped. "Much less anyone else!" He turned to Xavier. "What's the matter with you? Didn't you train your kids better than this? This is why you civilians are supposed to stay out of our way! Look at this place! A lot of guys got hurt because of your actions as well as property damage! As their leader you should have known better!"

"We were trying to…" Xavier started.

"Prove a point?" Hawk snapped. "Yeah you proved a point all right. You proved how much mutants need guidance as well as how unfit for leadership you are! You didn't even try to order those students back! A good leader knows when to fall back! If you had let us do our job instead of trying to prove something, none of this would have happened!" 

"I didn't realize how Cobra thought," Xavier said. "They had shielded their minds with that…"

"Yeah well we figured it out without reading minds Baldy!" Beach Head snapped. "Maybe these kids would be better off out of your hands!" 

"What?" Scott said. "Are you saying you'd take us away from the professor? You can't do that!" 

"Wanna bet?" Beach Head growled, getting into Scott's face. 

"That's enough!" Hawk said. "All X-Men are confined to quarters at least until we've all calmed down. We'll discuss this later! Get them all out of my sight!" Several Joes escorted the X-Men and Xavier away. Althea and Todd watched the sight.

"I knew they'd cause nothing but trouble the minute they first walked on this base," Althea sniffed.

"What's gonna happen to them?" Todd asked Hawk. "You ain't really gonna make 'em stay here are you?"

"No," Hawk waved his hands. "I don't want to do that. I just think someone like Storm or Logan would be better off leading them, that's all. I don't know what I am going to do just yet! I need to think," He stormed away. 

"So much for Humans and Mutants getting along," Beach Head growled. 


	80. The Lost One

**The Lost One**

"I'm not dreaming this am I?" Lance said to himself as the animals advanced. 

Snarling the creatures circled him. Lance then began to laugh wildly. The ground started to shake. "COME ON!" Lance snapped at the coyotes. "COME AND GET ME YOU FLEABAGS! I SURVIVED MAGNETO! I SURVIVED BEING BURIED ALIVE! YOU THINK A BUNCH OF STUPID MUTTS IS GONNA DO ME IN? HUH? DO YA?" He focused his powers to create a tidal wave of earth. This frightened the pack, which fled yelping in terror.

"THAT'S RIGHT! RUN! RUN!" Lance howled. "I AM AVALANCHE! NOT EVEN MAGNETO AND HIS DRUGS CAN STOP ME! I ALONE CAN CONQUER ANYTHING! YOU HEAR ME? YOU CAN'T STOP ME MAGNETO! NO ONE CAN!" He screamed at the sun above him. 

He didn't realize he was being watched. Three figures were watching him at a safe distance. "There's our boy," Dusty spied the action through the binoculars. "God what the heck happened to him?" 

"He's on something," Cross-Country agreed. "But by the sound of it, I don't think he took it willingly." 

"We've got to help him," Spirit said. He started to move towards the mutant.

"How?" Dusty asked. "That kid's too dang powerful!" 

"Yeah and on top of that he's nuts!" Cross-Country said. "He's a maniac!" 

"He's lost," Spirit said simply. "Besides we can't just leave him out there." 

Meanwhile Lance was dancing around, lost in his own world. "I did it! I beat them! I beat them! I am the Mighty Avalanche! I can destroy mountains with a single thought! I'm powerful! I can beat anyone!" Lance shouted, his voice hoarse. "I can beat the world alone! I'm alone! All alone. Alone…alone…alone…" Lance sank to his knees. He lay down and curled up into a ball. "Alone…alone…alone…" 

A shadow fell over his body. He looked up and saw someone standing over him. In a moment of panic, Lance uncurled himself and backed away. "St-stay back!" He yelped. "I'm warning you!" 

The man in black took out a canteen. He held it in front of him. "Drink," He said simply.

Lance looked at him. "Are you real?" He asked nervously. "Or am I still seeing things?" 

"I'm real," The man said. "Drink." 

As thirsty as he was, Lance hesitated. Finally he took the canteen and gulped down the water. It felt so good, so clean and pure against his sore throat. He drank it dry. He looked at the man in black. "I…I was so thirsty," Lance explained. 

"How long have you been out here?" The man asked.

"Dunno," Lance brought his knees to his chest and hugged them tightly. He looked at the ground. "A day. Days. A week. A month. A year. I dunno. All I know is that I'm not right. Something….someone did this to me." 

"Magneto?" Spirit asked. 

"Yeah," Lance's eyes darkened. "I gotta get outta here! Gotta get away!" He managed to wobble to his feet. 

"And where will you go?" Spirit asked. 

"Away," Lance told him. He started to walk away but found his way blocked by two other men. 

"Now take it easy kid," Dusty said softly. "We ain't gonna hurt you. We just need to get you out of that hot sun okay?" 

Lance looked around. "Who are you? What do you want with me?" He tried to run, but the other two men restrained him. "Let me go!" Lance shouted. "I'm warning you!" The ground started to shake lightly. 

"Do you want more water?" Spirit asked gently. He took out a canteen. 

The shaking stopped. Lance debated on whether to drink or fight. His thirst won out. He nodded. Spirit held it to his lips. "Drink up now," Spirit said gently. He gave him a good few swallows before pulling it away from his lips. "Better?"

Lance nodded weakly. A look of fear was in his eyes. "You have to be good now," Spirit told him. "Understand?" 

"I…I'll be good," Lance said weakly. He didn't fight the other Joes' hold on him. Spirit gave him more water. "That's better," He said softly as he drank. 

"You just listen to Spirit now kid," Cross-Country said. "Just do what he says. Everything's gonna be A-OK." 

Lance's knees buckled. He couldn't stand anymore on his own. "Come on Kid," Dusty said. "We gotta get you to a hospital." 

Spirit felt the boy's forehead. Instinctively Lance flinched at the touch. "I fear he may not make it that far," Spirit told them. "We'll have to take him to the next best thing. There's a retreat I know not far from here. Call Lifeline. He's the boy's best chance." 

"Am…am I going to die?" Lance blinked.

"Not if we have anything to say about it kid," Dusty helped him to the motorcycle. He placed the boy in the passenger side. Lance slumped in the seat, drifting in and out of unconsciousness as they drove off. 


	81. The Kindness of Strangers

**The Kindness of Strangers**

The retreat was a top secret military R&R base. It looked like a group of simple cabins, but looks were deceiving. It was secret because on it's grounds were numerous hot springs that had regenerative healing qualities. Fortunately the Joes made it there in record time. 

Spirit walked out of the doctor's office. He had just deposited the boy there. Dusty and Cross-Country were waiting for him. 

"I've called Lifeline," Cross-Country told him. "Wild Bill's already on his way with him."

"The doctor is with him now," Spirit said. Suddenly there were several short tremors. "Uh oh!" 

They ran into the room. Lance was curled up in a corner, terrified. "I tried to examine him," The doctor said. "But he freaked! The boy is obviously terrified of me!" 

"Not to mention missing more than a few cards in his deck," Dusty grumbled. He spoke to Lance. "Kid we ain't gonna hurt you! We just want to see how bad the damage is! That's all!"

"No!" Lance yelped. "Stay away from me!" The room started to shake again. 

"Stop that!" Spirit ordered. The shaking stopped. Spirit cautiously walked up to him. "Listen to me, you're very sick. We have to take care of you. Do you understand?" 

Lance looked at him. "Don't let them hurt me," He pleaded in a very small voice.

"No one will hurt you here," Spirit got down to his level. "I promise. But we have to examine you and help you. Do you understand?" 

Lance nodded. "Do you need help?" Spirit asked. Lance nodded again. "All right," He helped Lance up. "But you have to behave yourself now." 

"I think Spirit should help me with him," The doctor said. "The rest of you better leave us." They did. 

"Can you get undressed yourself?" Spirit asked. Lance looked away, ashamed. "All right. Let me help you." Gently he peeled the torn dirty uniform off of his body. He helped Lance sit on the medical bed and removed his boots and socks. Wearing only his boxers, Lance shivered slightly, but mostly out of fear rather than being cold. 

"Several cuts," The doctor carefully examined him. "Some of them are infected."

"We found some barbed wire with blood on it," Spirit told him. He looked at Lance. "Magneto?"

Lance nodded. "He…he tied me up with it. He used his powers to make it tighter when I wouldn't obey. Tried to strangle me with it." 

"Monster!" The doctor hissed. "Fever, and definitely signs of some head trauma. Possibly a concussion. Also some bruised ribs."

"There are also several older marks on his back," Spirit noticed. "You've been beaten before haven't you?"

Lance looked away, ashamed. "Were you beaten often?" Spirit asked gently. Lance nodded again, his eyes closed tightly. 

"Do you know what drugs he gave you?" The doctor asked.

"I had no idea what he was doing to me until…" Lance stumbled. "When I fought back. He's been secretly drugging me for…I don't know how long." 

"That complicates things," The doctor sighed. "We have to take a blood sample."

Spirit held Lance's hand. "We need to get a sample of your blood so we can find out what he gave you. Understand?" 

Lance nodded. "Just get it over with," He said softly. He closed his eyes until the doctor drew some blood. 

"He needs to be cleaned," The doctor said. "He's filthy. We have those healing waters. They should help. I don't dare even give him any aspirin until I know exactly what drugs are in his system."

"Something tells me we are not going to be happy with the results," Spirit sighed. "You run the tests. I'll bathe him and treat his wounds." 

"Rooms through there," The doctor said. "Do you need any help?" 

"No," Spirit helped Lance down and into the other room. "We'll be fine." 

Lance looked around dazed. This next room was large with a bed in the corner and a huge bubbling pool in the center. "It's a natural hot spring with healing capabilities," Spirit told him. "It will make you feel better." 

Lance said nothing. He felt too weak and tired to complain. He looked away as Spirit removed his final vestige of clothing, ashamed of being helpless as well as naked. The next thing he knew, he was lying in the waters. No, he was floating in the spring. 

Gently, Spirit cleaned him. Carefully he guided the washcloth over his battered body, removing all of the dirt and caked blood. Lance closed his eyes, forgetting his embarrassment and allowed Spirit to care for him. The water felt warm and good. Lance felt his muscles relax. Even his cuts and sores seemed to diminish in pain against the power of the bubbling water. 

Slowly his fears diminished as well as his aches. Before he couldn't imagine putting himself in anyone's hands. Years of abuse and self-reliance had forced him to build a shield, desperately keeping out the world. Now here he was, helpless and vulnerable. Completely at the mercy of a human, a soldier even. To his shock, instead of all the terrible things he had imagined, he was being treated with kindness. This was an event extremely rare in his young life. 

Next Spirit paid attention to his hair, lathering it with sweet smelling shampoo. Lance took in the attention. He hadn't been cared for like this since he was a small child. He nearly fell asleep under his gentle administrations. 

He didn't know how long he lay there in the spring. Time had no meaning. The next thing he knew Spirit was drying him off. He was placed facedown on a nearby bed. He flinched as Spirit's gentle hands tended to his wounds. 

Spirit frowned as he treated the boy. The cuts from the barbed wire were all over his body. He could never fathom how leaders could treat their own people so cruelly. He did what he could, applying medicine to the infected wounds, bandaging the more serious ones. The waters recuperative powers had healed many of them. 

Finally he finished. There was a knock at the door. Spirit covered Lance with a blanket before answering it. Lance lay there watching. They were talking very softly. Then they both came over. The doctor had some water with him as well as some pills. "Drink this and take these," He said. "It's safe for you to take aspirin."

Lance sat up and looked at Spirit. "Go on," Spirit told him. 

Lance did what he was told. When he drank up all the water he looked at the doctor he asked, "Am I going to die?"

"Not today," The doctor smiled. "As long as you stay put and get some rest." 

"Go to sleep now," Spirit turned to leave with the doctor. 

"Please don't go," Lance said softly. His voice was barely above a whisper. "Just stay with me a little while, okay?"

"I will not leave you child," Spirit brushed Lance's bangs from his forehead. Lance settled down and closed his eyes. "I just don't want to be alone right now." 

"All right," Spirit nodded. "I understand."

Lance immediately fell fast asleep. The doctor looked at the boy. "Poor kid," He said. "He's been through hell. But why was he so afraid of me? I'm a doctor."

"That's why he was afraid of you," Spirit explained. "There are a lot of doctors that are unscrupulous when it comes to mutants. Plus the boy was probably trained to believe that if captured, a human doctor would harm him." 

"You're kidding?" The doctor said. "That's horrible."

"But sadly, it's true," Spirit told him. "In a way, mutants fear humans far more than humans fear mutants." 

"That is awful," The doctor said. "But understandable. I guess that's why some mutants would go against humans."

"I've read this boy's file," Spirit told him. "He's been in foster homes nearly his whole life. He has a history of abuse as well as delinquency. A prime candidate for people like Magneto to recruit." 

"Hmm," The doctor nodded. "Makes sense. Kid's been kept down by the system his entire life, naturally he's rebellious and if you add his powers to the equation that makes him dangerous. If the kid believes that the only way to get out and get somewhere is by using his powers…" 

"And of course Magneto tells him what he wants to hear," Spirit said. "Magneto uses the boy's own fears and past against him to keep him under control." 

"It's a fascinating subject," The doctor sat down. "It's a shame so many people, both humans and mutants are afraid of each other. So much good could be accomplished."

"Unfortunately most people see only the dark side of mutant powers," Spirit said. "Even mutants themselves." 

************************************************************************

Dark predators lurked through Lance's dreams. Snarling and howling, they tore at his mind. He awoke with a start. He blinked, trying to make sense of his surroundings. "Where am I?" He wondered aloud. 

"Safe," The man next to him told him. Lance looked at him. He couldn't remember exactly who this man was. He would have remembered meeting a Native American dressed in black. But something inside Lance told him to let his guard down. 

"Who are you?" Lance asked. "Where am I? What happened to me?" 

"My name is Spirit," He told him. "We found you in the desert. You were injured so we brought you here to heal."

"I don't…remember," Lance blinked. "Everything's so foggy."

"You were drugged and left for dead," Spirit explained. 

Lance winced. His head hurt. As well as there was a familiar pressure on his bladder. "I…I need to use the bathroom," He muttered. He tried to stand but found out that even sitting up caused him to feel dizzy. 

"Let me help you," Spirit managed to get the boy to his feet and to the bathroom. 

"Where's my clothes?" Lance wondered aloud. "I'm sure I had some somewhere." 

"They got dirty and torn," Spirit told him. 

Lance looked at his body. "What happened to me?" He asked as he looked at his wounds. "Someone did this to me didn't they?"

"Yes," Spirit said. "Do you remember who? Think hard. What's the last thing you remember?" 

"I…I can't…" Lance winced. "Head hurts too much to think." 

"All right then," Spirit said. "Don't think about that now." After Lance had finished his business he helped him back into bed. He gave him some water. "Drink this now." 

Lance did as he was told. He closed his eyes and lay back. "Something's coming back to me…Images…pain…the desert…I was buried alive…twice I think. You gave me water before. I remember that." 

"That's right," Spirit told him. "I found you." 

A man wearing a red uniform came in. "How's the patient?"

"Weak and he's experiencing memory loss," Spirit told him. "But his fever is gone at least. Avalanche this is Lifeline. He's going to examine you."

"You're a doctor?" Lance asked. 

"Technically I'm a medic but yes I did complete medical school," Lifeline said. He pulled back the covers, exposing Lance's body. 

"I'm sorry," Lance said. "I'm not usually naked. I lost my clothes."

"We'll get you some new ones," Lifeline told him. He quickly examined him, then replaced the covers over Lance. 

"What are you going to do with me?" Lance asked.

"Just relax," Lifeline told him. "It's going to be okay, son. I'm not going to hurt you." He placed his hands on his forehead. His hands gave off a warm glow. 

Lance felt a strange, but pleasant surge of energy run through his body. "You're a mutant?" He asked.

"No," Lifeline told him. "But I do have healing abilities. Just rest now." 

Lance felt his mind going into a fog. He didn't try to fight it. He was too weak and sore to do so. He passed out into unconsciousness. "He should sleep for a while now," Lifeline told him. "Come on, I want to talk to you."

Spirit followed Lifeline out of the room. Dusty and Cross-Country were there as well, waiting. "How is he?" Dusty asked.

"Weak," Spirit sighed. "Scared, and very sick. His mind is fragile after his ordeal. He should pull thorough though." 

"I hope," Lifeline sighed. 

"Did you get the results of the blood test?" Spirit asked.

"Yes," Lifeline hesitated. 

"What did he **do** to that kid?" Dusty asked.

"It's not good," Lifeline sighed. "In addition to doping him up with an illegal and highly dangerous genetic enhancer, he also mixed it in with some kind of serum that apparently is used as a form of mind control. Magneto must have given it to him in order to instill obedience."

"Didn't work," Dusty huffed.

"In a way, it did," Lifeline told him. "What Magneto didn't consider was the effects of one drug delaying the effects of the other. The second drug didn't hit full strength until after Magneto abandoned him. And since the first person the kid saw was Spirit here, the drug must have affected his mind to accept Spirit as his leader. He was imprinted with the idea that he had to obey him."

"You mean like what baby birds go through," Dusty said. "No wonder he responds to you." 

"How long is this gonna last?" Cross-Country asked. 

"Well the imprinting may last quite a long time," Lifeline sighed. "But he'll snap out if he's not given any more of the serum. I think." 

"You think?" Spirit asked. 

"It's also an experimental drug," Lifeline explained. "The other drug…is a lot worse. Its effects may stay with him the rest of his life." 

"Geeze," Dusty grumbled. "Nobody deserves that, especially a kid! I don't care how many buildings he's destroyed!" 

"He couldn't help it," Lifeline told him. "The drug made his powers unstable." 

"I know that," Dusty told him. "Does he?" 

"I don't think so," Lifeline sighed. "I'm not looking forward to telling him."

"Ironic," Spirit frowns. "He fears humans will experiment on him, but he's already been experimented on by a fellow mutant." 

************************************************************************

Lance awoke with a start. He sat there shaking, covered with sweat. The nightmarish images of the past few days had returned. _It was real!_ Lance shivered at the memory. _What did Magneto do to me? Where…?_

He heard someone come into the room. Instinctively he pulled the covers closer to his body. "Are you all right?" It was the man from the desert. 

"Who are you people?" Lance asked, still frightened. 

"My name is Spirit," The man told him. "My friends and I found you in the desert." 

"Wait…I remember now…" Lance sighed. "Not long after the coyotes attacked. You found me. Hold it, you're not just a passer by are you? You're some kind of soldier aren't you?"

"I'm with GI Joe," Spirit told him. 

"What are you going to do with me?" Lance asked timidly.

"Well first I have to clean you up again," Spirit removed some of the bandages from Lance's body. "You need to be cleaned again in the healing waters." 

"That hot tub over there?" Lance blinked. "Wait, I remember someone saying that it had healing powers."

He gave out a yelp as Spirit removed the blanket. He tried to cover himself with his hands. "Come on now," Spirit helped him into the water again. "There's nothing to be ashamed of."

"Easy for you to say," Lance grumbled. "You're wearing clothes. I have to admit, this water does feel good. I do feel a little better." 

"Good," Spirit told him. "That means you'll be up again in no time. You need to get your strength back." He started to bathe him. 

"You gave me a bath before," Lance said as he allowed himself to be washed again. "And you've been taking care of me all this time?"

"Yes," Spirit gently washed his back. 

"Why?" Lance asked. "Why are you being nice to me? What's your angle?" 

"I just want to help."

"I've heard that before," Lance said bitterly. He said nothing as Spirit finished cleaning him. He lay there to soak a bit. Dozens of conflicting emotions raged within him, fear, frustration, humiliation, relief at being away from Magneto, exhaustion, and countless others. He let the bubbling waters pound away at them, trying to will them to dissolve. He watched in amazement as his sores healed before his eyes. 

"How long have I been here?" Lance finally asked. 

"A few days." 

"That's all? Seems like forever," Lance groaned. 

"Do you want to talk about it?" Spirit asked. 

"Not right now," Lance sighed as he was helped out of the water and dried off. He cringed as his stomach growled. "I'm hungry. Do you have anything to eat?" 

Spirit nodded and helped him back into the bed. He went into the next room and got some food. Lance ate it with relish. "Sorry," He gulped down a mouthful, realizing that he was eating like a wild animal. 

"No need," Spirit told him, clearing away the tray when he was finished. "Feel better."

"Yeah," Lance sighed. "Yeah I do. Thanks." 

"Try to rest some more," Spirit pulled the blanket over him. "I know you have been hurt and betrayed and you are afraid of us, but we won't harm you. You must trust me."

"Don't know why but I do," Lance groaned. "Course, I'm still pretty much doped up. Can't fight back or anything, so I have no choice. I know I should tell you something else. But I can't remember what it is. It's stuck in the back of my head and I can't get it out."

"Don't worry about it. You just rest now."

"Could you do me a favor please?"

"Of course." 

Lance's voice became small and timid. "I know this is gonna sound stupid, but could you please sit and talk to me? I'm tired, but I can't go back to sleep. I just don't want to be alone now. If Magneto finds me…" 

"He won't," Spirit put his hand on Lance's forehead and smoothed his hair back, gently soothing him. 

"I just want to feel safe now," Lance sighed. "To feel like somebody's watching out for me. Please?" 

"Listen to my voice," Spirit told him as he pulled the covers over him even more and tucked him in. "This is a song my grandfather used to sing to me when I was sick. It's a song of healing. It will help your spirit regain strength as well as your body." 

Spirit began to sing a strange, soft melody. Although he had no idea what the words meant, they were comforting to Lance. He relaxed, feeling calm and safe for the first time in a long while. He lay there, enjoying the simple warmth of the soft blankets against his bare skin. Being watched over as if he was a small child that needed protection against night terrors. He drifted into a dark fog. A fog that soon revealed the form of two familiar glowing eyes. 

**_You are mine._**

"N-No!" Lance protested.

**_You belong to me._**

"No!" Lance shouted. From out of nowhere a whip lashed out, slicing his skin. Lance screamed.

**_You will obey me. You are mine. _**

"No I won't!" Lance screamed. He was back in the desert. Magneto loomed over him. Lance ran but he couldn't escape Magneto. He was above him, his cold eyes glaring into his soul. 

**_YOU ARE MINE! _**

"NO!" Lance screamed. "YOU DON'T OWN ME! NOBODY OWNS ME! I'M FREE!" He opened his eyes in terror. He sat up, pulling his knees close to his chest. "I'm free, I'm free," He whimpered. "Nobody owns me." 

"Are you all right?" Spirit came in. Lance flinched at his touch. "It's all right. We Joes don't hurt mutants. We are the good guys. Remember?" 

"The Joes…" Something clicked inside Lance's mind. "I remember now! You gotta call the Joes! You gotta warn them! Magneto is going to attack your base!" 


	82. Magneto Strikes Again

**Want to meet some brand new mutants? Okay. I can do that. **

**Magneto Strikes Again**

But it was already too late. Magneto struck the base with his mutants hard and fast. Mystique had shapeshifted into a guard and shut down the security system long enough for Magneto to breach the Joe's defenses. Before they knew it, they were being attacked. Magneto easily used the Joe's tanks and weapons against them. 

The X-Men heard the commotion and once again ignored orders to stay inside their rooms. They split up into teams to go and fight. Rogue and Remy barely made it around the corner when they ran into Duke. "What are you doing?" He asked. "Never mind! Follow me!" They did.

And ran straight into two identical mutants. They were both huge and had rams horns on their heads. "Look at what we found Ramrod," One snickered.

"Something to play with Ramfist," The other grinned. 

"You two overgrown billygoats are gonna be crying to your momma when we're done with you!" Gambit started to charge a card.

Then Duke sprayed some gas into Rogue and Remy's faces They could just see Mystique changing form before they passed out. 

"Take the both of them to the orbs," Mystique told them. The two mutants picked them up and took them. 

Not much further away a female mutant with four arms and a sword in each hand was attacking the Joes. She was about to slice Mainframe in half when Snake Eyes blocked her swords with his own. 

She glared at him. "I am Shiva," She told him. "No one can beat me with my blades." 

Snake Eyes said nothing. He simply fought her. "You cannot defeat me!" She laughed. "I am the messenger of death! I am the ultimate swordswoman! I…." To her surprise Snake Eyes knocked one of her swords out of her hands. "How did you do that?" 

Suddenly she was covered in green slime. "That ought to cool you off!" Todd laughed. He saw Snake Eyes making a motion. "What?" He turned and saw a tall mutant with spiked blond hair smiling at him. "Oh! Okay! I can take you!"

"That'll be a shock!" He smiled. Then electricity flowed from his fingers.

"Uh oh," Todd gulped. "That's not good." He leapt out of the way of the mutant's electrical attack. "Great another Berzerker!" Todd groaned. 

"The name's Bolt actually," The mutant said as he spread his electric attack to a wide field instead of a single stream. It hit both Snake Eyes and Todd. "Got him,"

"About time," Shiva grunted, wiping the slime off of her. "He's not dead is he?"

"Nah," He picked him up. "Just stunned. Boss wanted him alive." 

"Good," Shiva said. "Let's take him back." She looked at Snake Eyes. "We'll settle this another day." They took off leaving Snake Eyes behind. 

Magneto floated among the fray. He used his powers on both the X-Men and Joes alike. He used the tanks as their own weapons against them. However to his surprise the Joes did not easily go down. Their guns were made of plastic and shot out lasers instead of bullets. Many of the Joes were taking on some of the mutants in hand to hand combat and giving as good as they got. 

He made his way to the offices where there was a fight going on. Ramrod and Ramfist had rejoined the battle, but to their surprise Roadblock, Falcon and Sgt. Slaughter were just as good fighters as they were. 

Well actually better since they were thrown to the floor in a heap. "This is intolerable!" Magneto snarled, using his powers to trap them and tie them up with a metal beam. 

A laser blast distracted him. "Get out of here you Landlover!" Shipwreck shot at him.

"Really," Magneto tossed a few barrels at Shipwreck. Some of them he dodged. "No wonder your children have no manners. That's the first thing I am going to work on them." 

"Stay away from my family!" Shipwreck growled. 

"This is for the best," Magneto told him. "Soon your children will be under my tutelage. What have we here?" He looked at Claudius peeking out from behind some crates. He reached out to grab him. 

"HANDS OFF MY SON YOU BLASTED BILGE RAT!" Shipwreck shouted as he lunged at Magneto.

Magneto smirked and sent another barrel at Shipwreck. This threw him hard against the wall. Claudius screamed in terror as Magneto caught him. 

"Claudie…" Shipwreck yelped before he blacked out. 

**Coming up, the attack rages on. And another new mutant is introduced! (Sort of) You'll see more of Magneto's new recruits later. I just felt like making a few of them up. **


	83. The Birth of Trinity

**The Birth of Trinity**

In another section of the base, Althea was fighting Sabertooth as best as she could. The triplets stayed behind, frightened. She gave him a swift kick to the jaw. "Get away you overgrown alley cat!" She shouted. 

"Not bad girlie," Sabertooth laughed. "You even hit me! But not good enough!"

He whacked her with the back of his hand, knocking her hard against the wall. "You got a lot of spunk, I'll give you that!" He laughed. "I'll enjoy breaking you in!" 

"Althea!" Daria and the other triplets ran over to their sister as Sabertooth advanced on them.

"She's out cold!" Quinn cried.

"AWWWK!" Polly flew at Sabertooth's head and grabbed his hair.

"You stupid undersized chicken!" Sabertooth screamed and grabbed it, throwing it against the wall. 

"Polly!" Quinn cried. 

"We have to do something!" Brittany said.

"Nothing you can do girlie," Sabertooth laughed as he reached out to grab them. 

"STAY AWAY FROM OUR SISTER!" They screamed. 

The air seemed to crackle around them. To Sabertooth's shock the three girls levitated off the ground. They rose in the air above him. Electricity flowed from their hands. "What the….?" Sabertooth backed away as the girls glared at him. 

**"_You hurt our sister," _**Daria said. **_"And our birdie." _**

**_"No one gets away with that," _**Quinn said. 

"**_NO ONE!" _**Brittany screamed. Electricity shone around their bodies. 

**_"You're a bad kitty!" _**The triplets said. Their eyes glowed brightly. 

"Oh freaking hell," Sabertooth gulped as the girls started to glow brightly. They sent out a huge bolt of electricity at him. But it wasn't electricity. It was psychic energy, tearing at Sabertooth's mind. 

"YEEEEEEAAAGGGGGHH!" Sabertooth screamed and ran in terror. 

**"_Bad Kitty! Bad Kitty!" _**They intoned, following him. 

Meanwhile the X-Men and Joes were fighting as well as they could. "Sheesh where did Magneto get all these mutants?" Duke shouted. "There must be half a dozen of them!" 

"So we've got a few ourselves!" Alpine told him as Scott fried one mutant with feathers. He shot a cat like mutant advancing on Scott. 

The sky grew darker and it began to flash thunder and lightning. It hit some of Magneto's mutants. 

"Sorry we're late," Storm flew in. Logan rode in on a motorcycle with Jinx. 

"Better late than never," Hawk told her. "But that's not gonna be enough! We need more help." 

"HEEEEELLP!" Sabertooth ran by screaming.

"Now that's a sight I never thought I'd see," Logan blinked. "What could have made him do that?"

"That," Jinx pointed. There were the triplets, flying after him. They used their psychic blasts on Sabertooth and any of Magneto's mutants that were in their sights. 

"That's enough!" Magneto intoned. "Time to leave! We have what we came for!" He used his powers to take his troops away in the huge orbs. 

"Now what did he mean by that?" Logan asked. 

"They timed this perfectly," Hawk spat. "After the battle with Cobra weakened our defenses they just came in here and wiped the walls with us!" 

"Not completely," Tabitha said. "We did manage to chase them off."

"No we didn't," Jean said. "I got a psychic flash from Rogue and Remy. They captured them."

"I saw Toad get taken too," Evan said. 

"That must have been Magneto's plan," Xavier frowned. "To capture as many mutants as possible." 

"Wavedancer! Hawk shouted. "The kids!" They went to the offices that were trashed. Then they saw Roadblock and the others bound by the metal beams. 

"Somebody get us out of here!" Roadblock called out. Logan cut them free. 

**_"Daddy!" _**The triplets cried out, using their psychic energy to lift the barrel off of Shipwreck. 

"Wha…?" He looked around. "Oh hi girls," He grumbled. "I was just taking a little nap and…" He noticed that their eyes were glowing. "Okay that's new." 

The triplets powered down. "Okay how did you do that?" Roadblock asked. 

"Dunno," Daria told him. "We just did it." 

"So you three have psychic powers now?" Shipwreck rubbed his head. "Oh goody. You three are going to be harder to control than ever. Where's your sister?" 

Althea staggered in, holding Polly. "Anybody got an aspirin?" She groaned. There was a cut on her forehead. 

Immediately Shipwreck forgot everything else and ran to her. "What happened?" He asked. 

"The bad kitty hurt Althea," Brittany sniffed. "We wouldn't let him take her."

"Or us," Quinn said. "Did we do good?"

"You did very well," Shipwreck kissed each triplet's forehead. "I just wish I was as strong as you were. I could have saved your brother." 

"There was nothing you could have done Shipwreck," Xavier wheeled with the X-men. 

"Somebody see to her head," Shipwreck told one of the medics filling in. He looked at Polly. "Are you okay bird?"

"Awk…" Polly replied in a dazed voice. "Polly wants some aspirin." 

"Poor birdie," Quinn took the bird. Her hand glowed. "Rest now." 

They watched in amazement as the parrot fell asleep. "What did you do?" Shipwreck asked.

"I told him to go to sleep so his headache would go away," Quinn said. 

"Can you guys read thoughts like Charley here?" Shipwreck asked.

"No," Daria said. "I don't think so. But I think Quinn can imprint suggestions. I don't know if we can do that or not."

"Does this mean we can finally have a codename now?" Brittany asked.

"I got the perfect one!" Daria said. "How about Trinity?"

"I like it," Quinn said.

"Well it does fit," Althea agreed as Bree bandaged her head. 

"You should have seen them take on Magneto's stooges Shipwreck," Duke told him. "They had Sabertooth running like a little schoolgirl!" 

"Amazing," Hank noted. "For them to have such power. And for them to have it manifest at such a young age…" 

"Yeah well we can wonder about that later," Shipwreck said. "They have my son!"

"They've got Rogue, Toad, Gambit as well," Scott told him. 

"What does Magneto want with them?" Kitty asked.

"Probably he wants to finish what he started with Toad and use the others as guinea pigs as well," Roadblock growled. 

"What do we do now?" Evan asked.

"Easy kid," Shipwreck's eyes grew cold. "We get them back." 


	84. Back at the Hideout

**Back at the Hideout**

Wanda stormed into Pietro's living quarters. She, Pietro, Fred and John had been left behind to guard the hideout. "I can't believe he killed Lance!" She screamed at him. 

"It's all my fault," Pietro said. "I wasn't strong enough to protect Lance." 

"He's doing things to us too isn't he?" Wanda asked. "Look at me Pietro!" 

Pietro reluctantly looked at her. "He's not enhancing you or Fred," He told her. "Just me and Pyro." 

"And that makes it all right?" She screamed at him. 

"No! But he's just trying to make us stronger," Pietro said.

"I don't believe you!" Wanda threw up her hands. "Why do you just sit back and take this? Don't you hate how he treats you?"

"Of course I do!" Pietro spat.

"Then why is it that you always turn into a doormat whenever Father wants something?" She shouted. "Always running to him for approval when you hate his guts?"

"I don't hate him!" Pietro cried. "I love him. I just hate the way he treats us." 

"How can you love him?" She screamed. "How can you love that monster?" 

"I just do," Pietro tried to explain. "He's my father. Deep down I really believe he cares about us. He's just obsessed, that's his problem. He wasn't always like this. Remember how kind he was to us? How he raised us on his own? Before…He doesn't know when to stop. It's like a sickness. He can't help it." 

"You always do this!" She snarled. "You're always trying to make excuses for him! You are so weak!"

"Now who sounds just like father?" Pietro looked at her. 

She screamed and made to slap him. Pietro caught her hands. "Don't you ever compare me to him!" She used her powers to throw him hard against the wall. 

Pietro cried out in pain. For a second she glared at him. Then she looked at her hands in disbelief. "Pietro…I didn't mean it! I…" 

Pietro looked at her coldly. "I think you've proven my point. Look at you. That's all you think about is how much you hate Father. You never think about how your actions may hurt me or anyone else. Do you really think you're the only one who's been hurt by him? He's abandoned me too you know. Only difference is I would never take my frustration out on you." 

"Pietro I…" She stammered. His words were starting to sink in.

"You keep telling me that I'm just like Father," Pietro stood up. "The truth is you are more like him than I could ever be." He ran off. 

"Pietro!" Wanda called out. She searched the hideout for him. She saw Fred. "Blob have you seen Pietro?" 

"No why?" Fred asked. 

"We had a fight and I…" She sighed. "I just want to apologize to him. That's all. And I…" She noticed his eyes were red. "Have you been crying?"

"My best friend is dead," Fred snapped. "Of course I've been crying! Not that you'd care!" 

"That's not true!" Wanda said.

"Yes it is!" Fred said. "You're always wrapped up in your own pain to notice anybody else's!" 

"You…" She stopped. "You're right."

"Huh?" 

"I have been acting like Magneto haven't I?" She sighed. "That's what Pietro was trying to tell me." 

"Well the apple doesn't fall far from the tree," Fred said. "Unless it's on a hill." 

"Huh?" Wanda looked at him.

"Don't go to Freddy for advice," Pietro appeared from around the corner. "Doesn't really work." 

"Pietro I'm sorry," Wanda said. "I didn't mean…" 

"I know," Pietro sighed. "I know we have to get away from him. But I don't know how. It's not like we can just walk out of here or anything." 

"Yeah look what happened to…" Fred began when he heard a familiar sound. "They're back!" 

"Looks like they only brought back part of the team this time," Wanda remarked. "The rest of them must have went back to that other base Magneto's building." 

John walked in. "Hey Boss welcome home!" He called out. "How was the operation." 

"A success for the most part," Magneto pointed to the figures of Rogue, Remy and Todd being carried out of some orbs. Under one hand he was trying to hold a struggling Claudius. 

"What in the…?" Wanda looked as she saw the three unconscious figures being dragged out of the orbs. "What are they doing here?"

"My guests," Magneto told her. "Of course I had planned to have even more guests if it wasn't for someone's incompetence," He glared at Sabertooth. 

"You couldn't handle four little girls?" Mystique sneered.

"Hey I was doing just fine until those three little witches used their powers!" Sabertooth snapped. "Maybe if somebody told me that they were some kind of psychics…"

"Enough!" Magneto tried to hold onto the squirming and screaming baby. "Someone take him! And change his diaper." 

"I'll do it," Mystique groaned as she took him. Claudius screamed and slapped her hard in the face with his flipper. "OW! Why you little…" She made a motion to hit him.

Pietro ran and grabbed Claudius. "Don't hit him! He's just a little baby! He doesn't understand!" 

"Neither do I," Wanda glared. "What are they doing here?" 

"Behold our new recruits," Magneto smiled. "And a few old ones." 

"What are you going to do to them?" Pietro asked. 

"I think we are going to teach them the error of their ways," Magneto smiled. 


	85. The Rebellion of the Scarlet Witch

**The Rebellion of the Scarlet Witch**

"Where am I?" Rogue fought to clear her head. Someone was holding her. She looked around and saw that she was in a room somewhere. 

"Ah my dear Rogue," Magneto stood before her. "How good of you to join us." 

Rogue looked around. The two Ram brothers were holding her captive. Mystique, Sabertooth, Pietro and Wanda were there as well as other mutants she did not know. 

"Let go of me!" Rogue fought against the two mutants restraining her. 

"In good time my dear," Magneto made a motion. A pair of shackles floated across the room and clamped on her hands. "But right now I think it's best that you remain restrained. For your own protection."

"More like your own protection!" She snarled. She glared at Mystique. "Why am I not surprised that you're behind this as well!" 

"Rogue please try to understand," Mystique told her. "I did it to get you back." 

"Then why'd you bring back Gambit and Toad as well?" Wanda snapped. "Not to mention that baby mutant!" 

"Baby…?" Rogue blinked. "What's this all about Bucket Head?" 

"Allow me to introduce my new improved Brotherhood," Magneto pointed to Ramrod and Ramfist. "First the twins, Ramrod and Ramfist. They have exceptional strength and animal reflexes. They also have a healing factor similar to Wolverine and Sabertooth's, but not as powerful." 

"This is Shiva," He introduced a four armed woman with short black hair. "An exceptional sword fighter and martial artist, for obvious reasons." 

Next came a tall man with spiked blond hair. "Bolt, who has mastery of electric attacks. He can even absorb and redirect electricity. There are others. You'll meet them later. After you've been fully inducted back into the Brotherhood."

"Forget it!" Rogue snapped. 

"This is ridiculous!" Wanda shouted. "We don't need them!"

"I run this organization," Magneto snarled at her. "I decide who stays and who goes."

"Maybe if you didn't keep killing off our members like you did Lance…" Wanda snapped.

"What?" Rogue cried. "Lance is dead!"

"It was an accident," Magneto told her.

"I'll bet!" Wanda snarled throwing a hexbolt at him.

Magneto dodged. "Control yourself Wanda!" He shouted. 

"NO!" She screamed. "I've had it with you controlling me and the others! I'm not going to let you lock anyone else up!" 

"GET HER!" Magneto shouted. Pietro was the only one who didn't attack Wanda. He watched as she flung her hexbolts at the other mutants and easily batted them away. 

"Where the hell is that Agatha lady?" Sabertooth shouted.

"She left the other day," Mystique told him. "She tends to come and go as she pleases."

"Oh great!" Sabertooth dodged a hexbolt. "A fine time for her to go take a vacation!" 

Wanda threw a hexbolt at Bolt, robbing him of his powers. Then she managed to throw a bolt at Shiva, tossing her across the room. "Stop her!" Magneto shouted. "Quicksilver do something instead of standing around!"

"You're the one she's mad at, you do something!" Pietro snapped. 

As Wanda threw another hexbolt at Magneto, the Ram brothers came from behind and grabbed her arms behind her. "We got her boss!" Ramrod shouted. 

"Quickly! Bind her hands! Make sure she can't use them!" Magneto shouted as his lackeys did so.

"Let go of me!" She shouted, still struggling. 

Magneto took Wanda's face in his hand. "I see you still need lessons in obedience," He snarled. 

"I'll never obey you again!" Wanda snapped. "And I know you won't kill me, so why not just let Pietro and I go? What's the point?" 

"Do you really believe that you are irreplaceable because we are related? You are not my only daughter?" Magneto said. 

"What does that mean?" Wanda asked.

"There is a reason I brought Rogue here," He walked over to Rogue and placed a gloved hand on her cheek. "It's time you were brought back into the Brotherhood. This is your true family. Where you belong my daughter." 


	86. A Family Reunion

**A Family Reunion**

"You're my father?" Rogue blinked. "No…you're lying."

"He's not," Mystique told her. 

"What?" Pietro looked at her and at Magneto. "Rogue's…my sister too? That can't be! I used to dream about…I think I'm gonna be sick!" 

"This isn't exactly making me feel any better you know!" Rogue snapped. 

"You slept with him too?" Sabertooth looked at Mystique. 

"Too?" Pietro looked at him. "You mean you and…? She and you…?"

"A long time ago," Mystique frowned. "But that's ancient history." 

"Thank god," Sabertooth growled. "Worst weekend of my life." 

"I don't wanna hear this!" Pietro whined. 

"I don't believe it!" Rogue looked back and forth at Magneto and Mystique. "You and…him?" 

"It wasn't like that!" Mystique told him. "We never slept together. It was…different." 

"How different?" Wanda growled. 

"It was an interesting experiment," Magneto told her. "I induced superovulation in Mystique and inseminated her eggs artificially. Following incubation and fertilization I carefully examined the eggs for a wide variety of defects and abnormalities, weeding out the tainted ones. Yours was the most promising. I also added some new information and instructions to your genetic blueprint in your DNA." 

"I'm an experiment?" Rogue snapped.

"It wasn't like that," Mystique told her. "I wanted a baby. I had a low fertility rate and Magneto promised me he could help." 

"Ironically that didn't stop you from getting pregnant with that German," Magneto grumbled.

"Not to mention…" Sabertooth grumbled. 

"That's not important!" Mystique snapped. "It just happened!"

"So Kurt was an accident," Rogue said. 

"He was a surprise," She told her. "And you I wanted more than anything. But circumstances…" She glared at Magneto. "Forced me to give you up." 

"So while Mystique was pregnant with Nightcrawler, we had to place you in a surrogate," Magneto explained. "Fortunately Destiny was so kind to assist us."

"You mean Destiny is…was a surrogate mother?" Rogue's eyes widened. 

"It was a simple procedure," He explained. "And she did not contribute any genetic material anyway. So while I sent her off to the U.S. for…other procedures, Mystique remained here." 

"I knew Irene would love you and take care of you," Mystique said. "And I did get to see you from time to time. It's not like I dumped you on somebody's doorstep!" 

"What a fun little family reunion this is," Sabertooth groaned. 

"Oh I can't wait until Thanksgiving rolls around," Pietro groaned. "That's going to be a lot of fun!" 

"So you see my dear we do belong together," Magneto told her.

"I don't belong to you ya creep!" Rogue snapped. "Even if you are my father!" 

"I see stubbornness runs in the family," Ramfist chuckled. 

"I see we are going to have to work on this relationship," Magneto sighed. "I believe in time you will understand your place." 

"As for you," He glared at Wanda. "I think I can prescribe something that might alter that disposition of yours." He looked at the twins. "Take the Scarlet Witch to the Lab and Rogue to the chamber. I'll deal with them shortly." 

Once the others left Magneto addressed the remaining Brotherhood members. "Now," Magneto told the Brotherhood. "I have decided to have the Brotherhood complete the secondary base. Once it is complete we will be able to focus on recruiting more members. Bolt, you go and join the others," Magneto told him. The rest of you stay here on this base."

"Is that a good idea to send our main forces so far away right now?" Sabertooth asked as Bolt left. 

"Why not?" Mystique said. "It's not like the Joes or the X-Men can find us." 

"Correct," Magneto nodded. "Besides this gives us time to finish what we began on Toad. I think a little more enhancement is in order." 


	87. The Rescue Party Plans

**The Rescue Party Plans**

It had been three hours since the attack on the base. And still the X-Men were arguing with the Joes. "I told your students needed to be kept in their quarters for their own protection!" Hawk shouted. 

"Some protection you provided!" Xavier snapped. "I lost two students because of you!"

"Hey!" Shipwreck snapped. "Listen Baldy, we lost people too! My son and a kid I really have come to care about! Maybe if your kids hadn't wrecked the base the first time they'd still be here!"

"Listen you…" Xavier started to say. 

"ENOUGH!" Duke shouted. "Both of you! What's done is done! Blaming each other isn't going to change anything!" 

"He's right," Hawk said. "We have to find Magneto and save the kids. That's our top priority now. We can play the blame game later. Right now we have to focus on finding those kids and bringing them home before Magneto does something to them." 

"And how do you suppose we do that?" Xavier shouted. "We don't even know where Magneto is!"

"I know where he is." 

They all turned and saw Lance walking in with three Joes. He was wearing dark green pants and a black T-shirt. "I know where his hideout is," Lance said. "I can take you to him."

"What is he doing here?" Scott snapped.

"Magneto's crazy," Lance snarled. "He's running experiments on any mutant he gets his hands on!"

"Experiments?" Roadblock's face darkened. 

"Where is he?" Shipwreck grabbed Lance's shirt. "That maniac has my son!" 

"The little guy with the flippers?" Lance asked. "He took him?"

"Him, Rogue, Toad and Gambit," Xavier told him. 

"So that's what he meant by getting new recruits from the Joes," Lance said.

"So what are you doing here?" Shipwreck glared at him.

"Ease off Shipwreck," Dusty pried him away from Lance. "The kid tried to warn us." 

"Magneto tried to kill me," Lance snapped. "I want revenge. And I want to save the others. He's doing stuff to the Brotherhood." 

"Where is he?" Shipwreck asked, not too politely. 

"Antarctica," Lance told him. "He's rebuilt Asteroid M." 

"Oh this is gonna be fun," Logan growled. 

"Well what are we waiting for let's go!" Althea got up.

"You're not going anywhere!" Shipwreck growled at her. 

"Yes I am!" She said hotly. 

"No you're not!" Shipwreck glared. "In the first place you're injured!"

"But…" Althea protested.

"No buts young lady!" Shipwreck's tone grew extremely stern. "And I am not going to chance losing another one of you! Is that clear?"

She looked at him sadly. "Very clear sir." 

"You stay and watch your sisters," Shipwreck softened and put his hand on her shoulder. "That's an order. Understand?" 

"Okay," She sighed. "But you'd better come home alive. And not screw this up!"

"Don't worry kid," He smiled. "I won't. That's a promise. We're family. And I told you long ago nobody is gonna break up our family. That includes Toad. Besides, if you think I'm going to lose the only person crazy enough to be my future son in law, you have another think coming!" 

"So how do we get there?" Kurt asked. "We can't use the Joe planes. They're made of metal." 

"We can use the X-Jet and the X-Copter," Xavier said.

"That's not all," Hawk motioned. "Come with me." 

They all followed him to the lower levels. "When we first heard about Magneto some of our research teams started cooking up a few little gadgets," Hawk explained. "Including these." 

They entered a huge underground hanger. There were dozens of Jets and choppers there. "These are the newest prototypes in aviation," Hawk told them. "The Skyblazers and the Stormwhirls! All made without an ounce of metal! Just waiting for a test run. And I say this situation calls for it." 

"Wow," Bobby looked around. Several X-Men let out impressed whistles. 

"You think this is impressive," Hawk smiled. "Just wait until you see some of our other gadgets. Magneto's not gonna know what hit him!" 


	88. Magneto's New Experiment

**Magneto's New Experiment**

It was supposed to be simple, collect Toad and bring him to the lab. Mystique thought she could handle him easily. Toad had always been easy to control.

Then again, Toad had never spent several months with GI Joe ninjas before. Even chained up by his leg, Toad managed to lash out at her, thanks to his tongue. She intended to beat him into submission, but found herself to her horror on the receiving end of his tongue and acid spit.

"AGGGGGGHHH!" She screamed as another lob of purple goo hit her arm. 

"Steeeeeeeeeerrriiiikeee two!" Todd called out maniacally. 

"Go Toad!" Gambit cheered, his hands chained behind his back. 

"Should have gagged the little…" Mystique hissed. A loud laugh made her turn around. "Help me you idiot!" 

"What's the matter Mystique?" Sabertooth laughed. "Can't handle a single little Toad?" 

"Just subdue him!" She hissed. She was starting to feel woozy.

"Oh no," Sabertooth folded his arms. "I am having way to much fun watching this!" 

"Come and get me you blue skinned witch!" Todd snarled. "Think you can break me like you did before? Think again!" 

"Give her a few licks for me Mon ami!" Gambit crowed. 

"You're next!" Mystique hissed. She started to feel very dizzy. "Will you stop laughing and help me here? Magneto wants to have a word with Toad here!" 

"Told ya you should have gagged him," Sabertooth laughed. "But did you listen? Noooooo." 

"Shut up!" Mystique hissed. "You little…" She stormed up to him. Todd kicked her with his free leg. She fell down and hit her head on the wall, knocking her out. 

"Aw," Sabertooth drolled. "Mystique fall down and go boom." 

The intercom crackled to life. "What is taking so long?" Magneto snarled as he spoke on the intercom.

"Well it seems that the Toad grew a bit of a backbone while he was away," Sabertooth grinned. "Mystique's kind of having a time out." 

"Just get him up here!" Magneto snapped. "Do I have to do everything around here?" 

"Just try it!" Todd snarled. 

"They always want to do it the hard way," Sabertooth grumbled. 

"Come on!" Todd hopped as much as he could. "I can take you! I can take you! You want some of this? You think you can handle somebody who's chained up?"

"I think I can manage," Sabertooth hit a panel on the wall. A small tranquilizer gun was revealed.

"Uh oh," Todd gulped, just before Sabertooth shot him. He passed out immediately. 

"I don't know why she didn't do that in the first place," Sabertooth shook his head. "I mean that's what it's there for." 

"What no banging his head against the wall?" Gambit sneered.

"No I reserve that for people who really annoy me," Sabertooth said as he smacked Gambit upside the head. "Don't feel too bad. When she wakes up she is going to be in a real ugly mood. I wouldn't want to be stuck down here." He chuckled as he dragged Todd's body out. 

************************************************************************

"Ah there you are," Magneto said as Todd regained consciousness. "Finally awake I see?" 

"Where…?" Todd looked around. He was shackled to the wall next to Rogue. "They got you too huh?" 

"Not just me and Gambit," Rogue said sadly. 

"What's that…?" Todd heard a familiar cry. He turned white as he saw Claudius in some kind of bassinet not far from him. "Oh no…" 

"Quite an interesting mutation," Magneto looked over the baby.

"Get your slimy paws off him you creep!" Todd strained against his restraints. "When Shipwreck and the other Joes get here…"

"They're not going to come here," Magneto sniffed. "The odds of them finding this base are a million to one." 

Todd grinned. "That's the kind of odds that guarantee the Joes are going to find us!" 

"Toad, Toad, Toad," Magneto sighed. "It breaks my heart to see you fawn over a group of lowly humans."

"Instead of me fawning over you?" Todd snarled. "Not anymore! Those so called lowly humans treated me a lot better than you ever did!" He spat some acid at Magneto. 

Magneto calmly stepped out of the way. "Interesting," He mused as he watched the acid burn a hole where it hit. "I was wondering when that particular aspect of your mutation would kick in." 

"So you did have a hand in that hellhole I escaped from when I was a little kid," Todd snarled. "How many mutants died in your quest for the perfect mutant? Just curious." 

"Your attitude has changed since I last saw you," Magneto looked at him. "Not exactly an improvement." 

"You know what I think?" Todd said. "I think you're sore because a group of humans did what you failed to do!" 

Magneto glared at him. "This newfound attitude of yours Toad is beginning to annoy me." 

"You haven't seen annoyance yet!" Todd shouted. "Just wait until the Joes get here! Then you'll be sorry!" 

"That goes double for the X-Men!" Rogue snapped. "They've kicked your butt before! Remember?"

"Oh I remember. Do you remember this?" He pointed to a familiar chamber. "I remade this evolution chamber and acquired more of the Legendary Cytorak Gems. It is now ready, but it needs a test subject. I think you'll do Toad." 

"Hey I thought I was going to go first!" Sabertooth spoke. 

"All in good time," Magneto said. "I think it would be more beneficial if Toad here goes first."

"Oh yeah right," Todd drawled. "And then you brainwash me as well with that thing! No chance! No how! I ain't lettin' you warp my mind anymore!" 

"Really," Magneto looked at Claudius. "Perhaps I should use another test subject."

"You wouldn't!" Rogue cried out. "He's just a little baby!" 

"You sick bastard," Todd snarled. 

"Choose," Magneto told him.

"What kind of choice do I got?" Todd resigned. Then he looked at him. "But don't feel too happy. I will remember, and when I do, you'll be in for it!" 

Claudius started crying as Todd was dragged to the machine. "Don't worry Little C," Todd said. "I won't let him hurt you. I promise! You just gotta be a brave little guy until I get back okay?" 

"Put him inside!" Magneto snapped. Todd was thrown in and the door was locked behind him. He pulled the switch as the machine started. "He's mine again." 


	89. The Big Blow Up

**The Big Blow Up**

The chamber started to glow. Then sparks came out of it. "Uh," Sabertooth looked at it with a bit of apprehension. "That's not supposed to do that is it?" 

"Something's wrong!" Magneto snapped as he fiddled with the controls. "It's overloading!" 

The next thing he knew there was a huge explosion. "My machine!" Magneto wailed. "It's destroyed!" There was nothing but a huge hole filled with twisted metal. 

"Toad!" Rogue called out, trying to fight her restraints. 

Something tumbled out of it. It was Todd. His clothes were singed as well as his hair. He was covered in ash. "He's still alive?" Sabertooth's jaw dropped. 

Todd looked around him. He looked at the destruction of the machine. He smirked. "Ha…Ha…" Todd made a raspberry at Magneto before passing out.

"HOW DID YOU DO THAT?" Magneto shouted. "HOW DID YOU DESTROY MY MACHINE YOU LITTLE…." He grabbed the unconscious mutant by the throat. Then he thought. "I don't know how you did that, but I am going to find out." 

"I told you I should have went first," Sabertooth grumbled. "You know what I think? I think that kid is defective or something! Gotta be!" 

"The only thing defective around here are your brains!" Rogue snapped. 

"Typical," Magneto simply dropped Todd to the ground. "Well so much for that plan. Fortunately I have a back up." He went and picked up some kind of serum off of a table and prepared a shot. 

"What are you going to do to Toad?" Rogue's eyes went wide.

"Oh this isn't for Toad," Magneto said. "This is for you. I suppose my dear, the old methods are the most reliable," He injected Rogue with the serum. "I found some interesting DNA. This might come in handy." 

"What did you do to me you monster!" Rogue snapped. She immediately felt very hot and dizzy. 

"I just want to make you stronger, my dear daughter," Magneto said. 

"You…" Rogue started to say just before she passed out. 

"Take them both to the cells," He instructed Sabertooth. "I'll study them later. Right now, I have to see if I can salvage anything from this!" He looked over the destruction of his machine. "Once I have finished that, then I am going to find out exactly how Toad did this!" 

Claudius started crying even louder. "Don't worry little one," Magneto looked at him. "After I have finished with them, I'll pay some more attention to you." 


	90. A Final Plea for a Heart

**A Final Plea for a Heart**

Back at the Joe base the final preparations for the rescue were underway. Everyone's mind was on the mission. Well, maybe not everyone. 

"Kitty wait," Lance called out to her. He ran up. "I just need to talk to you! Listen to me!" 

"Listen to what Lance?" She snapped. "How you didn't know what was going on? Bull! You didn't want to know! And because of your friends my friends have been kidnapped!"

"Hey Toad's my friend too!" Lance told her.

"Since when?" She snapped. "You let Magneto hurt him and abandoned him!" 

"I didn't have a choice," Lance told her.

"There's always a choice Lance," She glared at him. "And you made it." 

Lance felt his heart breaking in half under her cold eyes. "Every time I think you've changed you disappoint me," She told him. "It's always the same!" 

"Kitty please," Lance begged. "Just give me one more chance." 

"That's all I give you Lance!" Kitty snapped. "One more chance after another! I'm sorry! I just don't know if I can do that anymore!" She walked away.

"Kitty!" Lance pleaded.

"Can't say I blame her."

Lance looked and saw Althea glaring at him. "After all the things you did, do you really think she'll forgive you?"

"I don't know," Lance sighed. "I let Magneto control me, but not anymore." 

"I'm only tolerating you right now because you can save my brother and Todd," She told him. "And you can help my father." 

"I will," Lance said. 

Althea looked at Lance. "If anything happens to any of them," She growled. "If this is some sick trick of Magneto's, I'll hunt you down and personally make you pay." 

Lance just looked at her, understanding. She walked back to her sisters. 

"All right people," Hawk called the Joes and the X-Men. "Gather around. It's time we did this thing!" 


	91. Fred Does Some Thinking

**Fred Does Some Thinking**

"Aw come on little guy," Fred tried to give Claudius a bottle while he was lying in the bassinet type thing. "It's apple juice! It's good for you! Come on, I know you must be thirsty." 

Most of the others were too busy to look after the baby mutant, so it fell to Fred to keep the little one entertained. "Come on! Look! It's good! I'll show you!" He took a few swigs from the bottle himself. "Mmm, Mmm! Good! Very good! Now you try some!" 

Claudius screamed even louder. "Oh man," Fred sat down in a nearby chair and put his head in his hand. He looked at Claudius. "I know you're scared and everything, but I don't have a clue what else to do! You gotta meet me half way or something!" 

"I don't know why Magneto even brought you here anyway," Fred sighed. "I mean it's not like you don't have any family or nothin'. Then again, I don't understand half the things he does." 

"Nothing makes sense you know?" Fred looked at Claudius. "I mean, if he's supposed to make a better life for all mutants, why does he treat us so bad? Sometimes I wonder if I should have gone to the X-Geeks."

"Don't get me wrong. I can't stand those X-Losers. Bunch of jerks in my opinion. But even they have it better than us. I don't think Xavier does experiments on them. Well, no drug experiments anyway. You don't know this but they were fooling around with that blue freak's teleportation powers and opened this door to a dimension. Let loose a bunch of monsters in the middle of the school dance! It was wild!" 

"I dunno, maybe if they weren't so hostile to me…Like that Summers guy. Way too overprotective in my opinion. Then again Jean's good at wrapping guys around her finger. What am I saying? I'll never fit in with them! Think humans will actually want to get along with us! Boy are they living in a fantasy land!" 

"Then again you were living with a bunch of humans. You didn't wanna leave them did you? I mean, at least your dad loved you. I never really knew my father. Took off and disappeared before I was born. You know, my mom ditched me too after I was born. Ran off to Vegas to be a showgirl. Didn't exactly work out. Serves her right. My grandparents raised me on their farm. Until it went bust and…Well let's just say things went downhill from there pretty fast." 

"But at least I can pass, somewhat. You, boy are you gonna have it rough."

Claudius made a loud gahh noise, indicating he was not happy. He waved his flippers wildly, trying to get out of the bassinet. "Hey you're a tough little guy huh?" Fred marveled. "Well that's good. Cause you're gonna need all the strength you can get to make it in this world. I may not be the smartest guy on the planet, but I do know being strong is a definite plus if you're gonna survive!" 

"Dada," Claudius sniffed. 

"You want your daddy don't you?" Fred asked softly. 

"I see you've finally found someone you can have a conversation with," John quipped. He and Sabertooth were walking by.

"Well somebody's gotta feed the little guy," Fred said.

"Trust you to think of somebody's stomach," John cackled. "Of course usually it's your own."

"Humph," Sabertooth grinned. "Look at the size of those flippers. Kids gonna be huge! Aren't you?" He started teasing Claudius. Frustrated, the baby lashed out at him with his flippers. "Whoa! Feisty isn't he? Gonna be a scrapper that's for sure. Can always tell 'em."

"Don't tease him!" Fred frowned. "He's just a little baby!" He picked Claudius up and held him close to his chest, trying to protect him from Sabertooth.

"Ah a little teasing's good for him," Sabertooth waved. "Makes him mean. That's good in a fighter."

"You actually like that little drool machine?" John laughed. 

"He can't help it," Fred told him.

"Ah you're spoiling him," Sabertooth waved and walked away. "Don't you worry thought. We'll make a fighter out of him yet." 

"What does that mean?" Fred asked.

"Oh for crying out loud Blob, what do you think it means?" John groaned. "I know it's not your strong suit but try will ya?" 

Fred looked at the baby in his arms. "He's gonna do stuff to him isn't he? Like he's doing to Pietro and you."

"So?" John huffed. "You say that like it's a bad thing! Sure he's rough with us, but ever since I came here I've been stronger than ever! Mutants need to be if we're gonna survive this war with humans. And he's gonna be our little trooper."

"Oh," Fred said. 

"Look Fred it's for the best, really," John said. "You know Magneto only does this stuff to us so we can be strong, right?"

"Yeah I guess," Fred said putting Claudius back in the bassinet. 

"Trust me mate, the kid is better off with his own kind. Not hanging around with a bunch of humans." 

"Yeah," Fred nodded. "Thanks Pyro. Now I know what I gotta do." 


	92. Jailbreak

**Jailbreak!**

Todd woke up to the sound of groans. He lifted his head and realized he was the one who was making them. He saw that he wasn't chained up this time. Neither was Rogue. She was out cold. Remy looked awful and was chained to the wall by one leg. He was looking after Rogue as best he could. Somehow he had gotten out of the restraints on his hands. 

"What happened?" Todd gingerly touched his sore head. "Last thing I remember is going into that stupid contraption of Magneto's. Then Boom! It exploded around me. Hey what happened to you two?" 

"Mystique paid a little visit while you were up there," Remy groaned. "I don't know what happened to her."

"She don't look so good," Todd hopped over to them. 

"I'd feel better if it wasn't for this mariachi band playing inside my head," Rogue groaned as she woke up. 

"What happened?" Remy asked, concerned. 

"Magneto gave me some kind of drug," Rogue held her head. "Some kind of DNA enhancer. You?" 

"Mystique," Gambit frowned. "Wish I could have fought her off as well as Toad. What happened up there? I heard an explosion." 

"That was me," Todd groaned. 

"That reminds me," Rogue looked at Todd. "How did you do that?"

"Do what?" Todd looked at them. 

"Destroyed Magneto's machine stupid!" Remy groaned.

"Are you kidding?" Todd looked at them. "I didn't do anything! It was just dumb luck that the thing blew up on me!" 

"Are you sure?" Rogue asked.

"Oh come on Rogue," Todd told her. "It's not like I have any other secret powers or anything! I mean give me a break!" 

"He's got a point," Remy said. "This is Toad we're talking about."

"Yeah you're right," Rogue groaned. "Thing must have blown a gasket or something." 

"We gotta get out of here!" Todd snapped. "We gotta save Little C!" 

"How" Rogue asked. 

"Maybe you can pick the lock or…." Todd said when he saw John walk in. "What do you want."

"Magneto wants a word with you Toad," John grinned. 

"I'm busy this week," Todd snapped. "Call my secretary and make an appointment." 

"Very funny frog face!" John sneered. "Hey Blob!" Fred walked in. "Let's teach the Toad some manners shall we?" 

"Oh yes. Oopsie!" Fred knocked Pyro into the wall, knocking him out. "Oh did I do that? How clumsy of me!" He turned off the power to the electric bars. The cell was opened.

"What the heck are you doing?" Remy asked.

"Uh gee Gambit I knocked Pyro out and opened the cell," Fred snapped. "What does it look like I'm doing? Don't you morons know a jailbreak when you see one?"

"You're helping us escape?" Rogue blinked.

"Yes is that so hard to believe?" Fred snapped.

"Yes it is," Rogue snapped back.

"Look do you idiots want to get rescued or not?" Fred snapped. 

"Well first we have to get Gambit here…" Rogue pulled at Remy's chain. It came out of the wall. "Unchained?" 

"Hey I thought I was the only one here with super strength?" Fred marveled. 

"That stuff Magneto gave you must have given you new powers," Todd remarked as she removed the chain from Remy's leg. 

"Well that's handy," Rogue got up. "Now if it could just give me something to get rid of this headache I'll be all right!"

"Come on," Fred said. "We gotta get to the hanger. "There's a small shuttlecraft that we have for emergencies. You guys can use that to escape in!" They went down the corridor. 

"What about Little C?" Todd asked.

"Don't worry!" Fred said. "Pietro's taking care of that! The little guy's okay!" 

They ran down the corridors as well as they could. "We should get there without anyone spotting us," Fred said. 

Then three mutants appeared in front of them. "Or not," Fred gulped.

"What are you doing Blob?" Ramfist snarled.

"Uh…" Fred scratched his head. "Well I'm…uh…I'm uh…Oh forget it!" He punched Ramfist out. 

Ramrod and Shiva attacked. Todd took on Ramrod and started kicking and punching him. Shiva charged at Rogue who barely dodged out of the way of her knives. Remy threw a charged card in front of her face as a distraction. They all took off running down another corridor. 

"This way!" Fred panted. 

"I don't see them behind us," Remy said. "Maybe we lost them, no?"

"Uh no," Todd gulped as the three mutants ran in front of them again. Apparently they had taken a short cut. 

"Where do you think you're going?" Shiva snarled. 

"Get them!" Ramfist snarled. 

"Oh shut up!" Todd snarled as he kicked Ramfist in the head. Fred knocked down his brother.

"What does it take to get rid of these guys?" Fred grumbled as Ramrod got back up. 

Shiva kicked Remy down and then turned on Rogue. "Time to die," She hissed as she attacked. 

"Rogue!" Todd shouted. 

The mutant stabbed her with the blade. It broke on contact with her skin. "What the…?" She looked at her broken weapon. "That's not good."

"No it isn't!" Rogue punched her so hard she flew across the room. 

"Okay," Todd remarked. "You're invulnerable now and super strong. That's pretty cool." 

"Come on," Fred called. "This way!" They ran.

Right into the main room with Magneto, Mystique and Sabertooth. "Sorry guys," Fred gulped. "Directions never really were my strong suit."

"Oh really," Todd quipped. "I never would have guessed.

"You fools!" Magneto shouted. 

"Let's get out of here!" Todd shouted. Suddenly an iron door closed in front of them. "Or maybe we'll just stay here a while." 

"Did you really think you idiots could escape me?" Magneto tossed several metal objects at them.

"We can try!" Rogue shouted as she punched out some of the debris away from her. Fred did so as well. Todd and Remy dodged it as best as they could. 

Magneto used his powers to wrap a beam around Rogue and Remy. He tried to catch Todd, hopping around. "Somebody get him!" He shouted.

"Enemy aircraft approaching sir!" Sabertooth shouted. He looked at the controls. "It's the X-Jet!" 

"Must I do everything around here myself?" Magneto grumbled. He pushed a button and the skydome opened. He used his powers to push the X-Jet away. "NOT NOW CHARLES! I'M BUSY!" 

Fred and Rogue took advantage of the distraction to free themselves. As soon as she pulled Remy free, Rogue charged over to Magneto in order to tackle him. Sabertooth charged her. She kicked him into the wall.

"Boss," Sabertooth grunted. "I think that stuff you gave her worked!" 

Magneto sent some more debris at her. Rogue jumped in the air to avoid it. And then she remained in the air, hovering over the ground. She blinked for a second. "Okay how am I doing this?" She asked. 

"SHE CAN FLY NOW?" Fred gasped. "What is this? New powers day?" 

A siren blared. "What's that?" Rogue asked.

"The intruder alert!" Sabertooth shouted. "We've got company! Sensors indicate at least twenty…now it's thirty individuals on the base! The majority are human! It's those Joes!" 

"Told you they'd find us!" Todd stuck his tongue out. 

"I told you we needed some more reinforcements!" Sabertooth shouted.

"Let them come," Magneto rumbled. "We will be ready!" 

"Here we go," Fred grumbled. "This is gonna be fun." 


	93. The Battle Begins

**The Battle Begins**

"Listen up," Hawk told the group as they waited for instructions. "This will be a two part mission. The first part is the most important, Rescue and Recovery. The second part will be to take down Magneto's base." 

"And this is gonna be our key to get in," Breaker showed the team the inside of one of the Stormwhirls. There was a huge platform in the back and a strange monitor/computer system with a crystal on top. "It's kind of like that Mass Transporter Device that Cobra had a while back," Breaker told them. 

"What does it do?" Kurt asked. 

"It's a teleportation device," Mainframe explained. "It should work. I hope."

"You hope?" Evan blanched. "Please tell me you've tested this thing before!"

"Not on people," Mainframe said. "It took decades to get the thing not to screw up simple things like rocks and stuff. Don't worry. It should work."

"And if it doesn't?" Logan asked.

"Then we'll know what a set of broken Legos feels like," Roadblock told him.

"Wonderful," Scott groaned. 

"Here's the plan," Hawk said. "Xavier you and Storm get Magneto's attention in the X-Jet and X-Copter. While he's busy with you, we'll fly in two teams using the two Stormwhirls equipped with these transporters. The Stormwhirls have stealth capabilities so we should get close enough without being detected."

"Then we transport the teams inside Asteroid M and get the kids out," Duke explained. "You'll each wear a mini homing device on you so that the transporter can pick up your signal." He handed one out to all of them. "Pin it to your uniforms securely." 

"After we rescue the kids, we then kick major Magneto butt!" Roadblock told them. "Now let's do this thing!"

"YO JOE!" All the Joes shouted as they ran to their flying machines.

"Oh…Whoopee," Lance gulped. "I hate flying." 

"I'm not exactly looking forward to playing a scene out of 'Star Trek' myself," Scott grumbled. 

"We're all going to die aren't we?" Ray groaned. 

Althea watched with her sisters as they took off. "They're gonna bring 'em back right?" Quinn asked, hugging her sister.

"Yeah kid," She watched as they left. "I hope so." 

************************************************************************

It had been easy enough. Xavier had distracted Magneto enough to have them transport the first team into the hanger bay. Shipwreck, Falcon, Duke and Mainframe were the Joes leading the team of X-Men. Logan and Storm went with the team of Joes into another area. 

"I told you it would work!" Mainframe said cheerfully. 

"Okay now here comes the fun part," Duke told the team. "Let's stay together until we have an idea where the others are." 

"Let's get a move on already! I ain't gonna rest until my son is back in my arms!" Shipwreck snapped.

Suddenly there was a gust of wind. To his surprise, he found Claudius happily gurgling in his arms. "Well that was quick," Shipwreck blinked. 

"Shipwreck take the baby and head back to the jet!" Duke ordered. "The rest of you keep moving! We ain't finished yet!" 

Another gust of wind came in. It was Pietro carrying an unconscious Wanda in his arms. She had bruises on her face as well. "She's drugged," He told them, handing her to Falcon. "Magneto did this to her. Get her out of here!" 

"Kid wait!" Falcon called out. Too late, Pietro took off again. 

"I'll call in Breaker to transport Shipwreck and me off with the kids," Falcon hit his communicator. "You guys go ahead and get the others." 

Duke nodded. He spoke into his communicator. "This is Group Leader One to Group Leader Two. We have the baby. Over." 

In another area Roadblock answered his communicator. "That's some good news, but the rest of us need some clues! There ain't no one else around, and the other kids we have not found!" 

"I got a scent," Logan sniffed. "Rogue…Toad…Gambit…and Magneto."

There was a loud explosion. "Let me guess, that way?" Dial Tone asked.

"Oh yeah!" Logan nodded. They stormed the area and found Magneto trying to subdue a flying Rogue with a metal beam. "What the heck?"

"Wolverine, Storm," Magneto said. "How good of you to join us." He used his powers to knock the beam into Rogue and then throw some more metal at the Joes. 

Logan charged, only to be caught in midair. "Fool!" Magneto snarled as he stuck Logan's claws into the wall. "I am the Master of all Metal!" 

"And I am the Mistress of all Elements!" Storm shouted as she created lighting and flashed it at Magneto. 

Magneto simply created an electromagnetic barrier around himself to deflect the lightning. Then he took the metal plates of the door and enclosed them around Ororo. She screamed in horror. "Storm!" Logan lashed out with his claws, managing to free himself. 

Some of the Joes were freeing the kids. Magneto sent waves of metal at them as well. Sabertooth and Mystique and the other new recruits left behind started fighting the Joes. Once again Magneto used his powers to throw Wolverine into the wall. 

"Did you really think that you could succeed with only two mutants attacking me?" Magneto sent a wave of metal at the Joes. "You're all doomed!" He sent some metal towards one solder. Suddenly the soldier stretched out his hands and the floor rose upwards. It created a shield blocking the impact of the metal. 

"What?" Magneto shouted as the floor went down again. 

The 'soldier' removed his helmet. "Yo Joe!" Lance sneered as he glared at Magneto. 


	94. A Final Plea for a Father's Love

**A Final Plea for a Father's Love**

"YOU'RE ALIVE?" Magneto screamed at Lance.

"Yeah," Lance snapped. "No thanks to you! You're not that good at killing us off are you?"

"This is why you should leave this kind of work to the professionals!" Sabertooth snapped. "I mean I did kill those cops in Chicago without any problems!" 

"You what?" Lance yelled.

"I always knew you were sick," Roadblock snarled. "Now it's time we Joes showed you a trick! NOW!" 

The second team with the X-Men stormed in. "Looks like the Cavalry's arrived!" Roadblock shouted. "Give it up Magneto! You can't survive!" 

Then there was a rumbling sound. "What is that?" Scott said. Something huge came out of the shadows. Actually, it was three huge things. Three very familiar huge things. "It can't be!"

"How do you like my version of Mr. Trask's Sentinels?" Magneto laughed as the metallic monstrosities entered the chamber. "With some basic reprogramming they are quite effective. As you will soon find out." 

"This is not good," Mainframe gulped.

"Okay you X-Men take out those sentinels as best you can!" Duke ordered. "We'll try to give you back up!" 

"Some of us better take care of our other little friends," Sgt. Slaughter noted. Sabertooth tried to attack Logan as he was finishing freeing Ororo. He tackled Sabertooth. "Until Wolverine's finished I'll take care of the overgrown alley cat for him!" 

Todd and Roadblock started fighting Ramrod and Ramfist. "Toad and I will take care of the billy goat brothers!" He shouted. 

Todd slimed Ramfist and knocked him out. "Yeah this won't take long!" He laughed. 

Snake Eyes and Shiva were going at it. "That just leaves you and me sister!" Jinx shouted as she attacked Mystique. 

The battle raged fiercely. The X-Men and Joes were fighting fiercely. Lance managed to knock one of the sentinels down onto it's back using his powers. This gave Scott and Remy a chance to use their powers to blast it open. Logan had freed Ororo by this time and they both used their powers to destroy it. 

Lance managed to knock another sentinel off its feet when something hit him hard from behind. Magneto snarled as he used his powers to hit Lance again with a metal pipe. 

"Lance!" Fred ran to help him, only to get knocked off his feet by a large metal beam. 

"When I'm through with you Avalanche you'll wish you had died in the desert!" Magneto advanced on him. "And that goes double for you Blob!" 

"STOP!" Pietro grabbed Magneto's arm.

"What are you doing, Quicksilver?" Magneto shouted.

"Father please," Pietro called out. "Stop this!" 

"What did I tell you about calling me that?" He snarled. "Don't get in my way!"

"I'm sorry but you have to listen to me!" Pietro cried. "For once just hear what I have to say!"

"And what do you have to say that is so important that you distract me in the middle of a battle?" Magneto groaned. "This is not exactly the right time for a heart to heart!" 

"Father, I love you!" Pietro cried. "But sometimes you don't realize how much you can hurt people! I know you mean well, but you don't realize how much you're hurting those who are closest to you! I'd do anything for you, but you can't just take mutants away from their families and hurt them! And these three…" He looked at Lance, Todd and Fred. "They're my family too! And Wanda! I need them and you!"

"You are even more pathetic than I thought," Magneto snarled. "If you think I'll have any sympathy for traitors!" 

"Father please," Pietro reached out for him. "Don't do this. Please." 

"You are weak," Magneto growled shoving him away. 

Pietro hit the ground. "No!" Tears filled his eyes. "Please don't say that!" 

"You make me ashamed that you're my son," Magneto snarled at the sobbing boy.

"Well that makes us even!" Pietro snapped, his eyes growing cold. "Because you make me ashamed that you're my father!" 

He took off running as fast as he could; creating a mini cyclone that knocked down another sentinel. Amara and the other energy throwing mutants attacked it, heating up the surface. Then Bobby froze it, causing the metal to contract and expand quickly, buckling the surface of the robot. The Joes blasted it with their lasers. 

"Two down and one to go!" Roadblock cried out. "Yo Joe!" 

Kitty phased through the foot of the last sentinel, causing it to stumble. The X-Men and Joes destroyed it. "Yeah we did it!" 

"Now let's get Magneto!" Duke shouted. They advanced on him. A burst of fire separated them from him. 

"Forget about me?" John laughed. 

Magneto took the opportunity to escape to another part of the asteroid, with his loyal followers in pursuit. "I'll get him!" Rogue called out. "Whoa!" Another sentinel came out of nowhere and blocked her path. 

Then two more sentinels strode in. "Oh man!" Bobby groaned. "Where did he get these things?" 

"Hang on kids we ain't done!" Roadblock shouted. "This party's barely begun!" 


	95. The Reunion of Four

**The Reunion of Four**

"This isn't gonna work again!" Duke shouted as he saw another sentinel come out. "There's too many of them!" 

"We can't fight them all!" Jubilee cried.

"We don't need to!" Duke said. "Everybody get back so we can be transported out of here! We got the kids anyway! Move it!" 

"I ain't leaving until I get a piece of Magneto's hide!" Lance ran off. Fred followed him along with Pietro. They managed to sneak through the Sentinel's line of defense, thanks partially because the sentinels' were too busy attacking the X-Men. 

"Come on Joes!" Roadblock shouted. "Let's go!"

"What about the Brotherhood?" Todd cried out. "I can't leave them Roadblock!" Todd hopped after them. "I gotta help them!" 

"Oh great!" Roadblock ran after him. "I guess our rescue will have to wait!" 

"Roadblock!" Scott called out. 

"I'm the only one of them who has a ticket to the transporter!" Roadblock shouted. "Get out of here! That's an order!"

"Give him cover fire!" Duke ordered. Roadblock managed to make it though. "Keep his comm system open so we can listen in! I hope we can transport them all in time! Everyone! Fall back! Breaker beam us out of here!" 

************************************************************************

"I told you we had nothing to worry about," Magneto triumphed as he entered the smaller chamber. "They're already retreating." 

"Yeah well I'm just glad you have this section of the asteroid just in case," John grumbled. 

"Why don't we just self destruct the whole damn thing?" Sabertooth snapped. "We're safe here!" 

"NO!" Magneto snarled. "I will not lose another Asteroid M! Especially to a group of humans!" 

"That's good to know," Pietro ran up. Fred and Lance were behind him.

"Give it up Magneto you're finished!" Lance shouted. 

"You boys really don't learn your lessons very well now do you?" Magneto sneered. 

"I'll take care of these traitors boss!" John used his powers to attack them in flame. 

"Pyro!" Lance cried out. "Don't do this! Can't you see he's crazy?"

"He's a genius!" John shouted. "He's the future! And I'm going to stand beside him!" He shot out flames towards them. 

The three mutants dodged the flames. "That's right you traitors! Run! Run! R-AAAAHHGH!" John screamed as he was covered in slime. 

"Toad!" Lance cried out. 

"Hey you didn't think I'd actually leave my best buds now did ya?" Todd smirked. 

"Wonderful," Sabertooth groaned. "Now we have all the losers in here!"

"Which is precisely where I wanted them," Magneto grinned. "Get them! Show no mercy! Sabertooth hit Programs 45 and 17 on the computer!" 

"What?" He shouted. "Oh I get it! Hey you're the boss!" He went to work as Magneto and Mystique and the others attacked the four. 

Fred easily knocked out Shiva with his massive strength. Lance used his powers to shake up the ground beneath John and Todd and Pietro took on the twins. That was when Magneto sent out several sharp metal blades from hidden panels to attack them. Fred could easily deflect them. Todd and Pietro dodged them. Lance could not move as fast however. 

"Move it kid!" Roadblock grabbed Lance and rolled him out of the way of the shrapnel.

"You…saved me?" Lance blinked, incredulous that a human would do such a thing.

"Don't thank me yet," Roadblock told him. "We're not out of the woods, I bet!" 

"No you're not!" Mystique changed into a bear and tackled Roadblock.

"Get off me you ugly…" Roadblock swore as they wrestled. 

Todd hit her back with an acid stream. She screamed and changed form as she went down. Magneto used his powers to take a piece of metal and knock Todd out from behind. Pietro tried to help him. But as he knelt down to see if he was all right, Magneto used his powers to tendril a metal chain on his leg. He yanked Pietro up and started tossing him around like a rag doll. A horrifying snap was heard as he slammed Pietro into the ground. 

"Pietro!" Fred cried out.

"My leg," Pietro whined. "I think it's broken!"

"That's not all that will be broken!" Magneto shouted as he used his powers to work on the iron in their bodies. They started screaming in agony as he moved it around inside them, torturing them. 

"It's ready!" Sabertooth said. "Let's get out of here!" He ran out. Shiva, Pyro and the Ram brothers were not far behind. 

Magneto stopped his torture. "I think that's enough fun for now." He floated out the door. "Time to go," Magneto shut the doors on them.

"Hey don't leave me behind you jerk!" Mystique got up and started pounding on the doors. There was a huge rumbling sound. "Oh no! You bastard! Magneto you're going to pay for this!" 

"What the heck is going on?" Roadblock shouted.

"I forgot," Pietro gulped. "This part of the asteroid is detachable!" 

"What?" Roadblock shouted. 

"It was supposed to separate in case of emergencies," Pietro told them.

"And we've got a big one!" Roadblock ran to the computer. He pointed at a countdown. "They set this place to blow! That's why they were so eager to go!" 

"What do we do?" Fred asked.

"We'll just have to make a…" Roadblock looked around on his jacket. "My transporter chip!" 

"Looking for this?" Mystique held Roadblock's transporter chip. She morphed into Roadblock. "One to beam up!" 

"Why you…" Roadblock fumed. 

"Good bye," Mystique tapped the communicator and transported away.

Right in the middle of several angry Joes holding some very big guns. "Drop the disguise Mystique! Now why did I have the feeling you'd pull something like this?" Falcon sneered. "Good thing we kept the communication lines on the whole time huh?" 

Back at the separated section of the asteroid things were not going according to plan. 

"Can't you stop it?" Fred asked.

"No! I can't!" Roadblock shouted. 

"We're trapped in here!" Pietro whined.

"We're toast!" Lance cried.

None of them noticed Todd getting to his knees, dazed. He lifted his head. As the last number clicked on the countdown his eyes glowed. "Don't worry…" He whispered. "I'll save you…" 


	96. Why Aren't We Dead?

**Why Aren't We Dead? **

Everyone cringed as the explosion went off. It took a few minutes for everyone to realize that there was no searing pain or any sensation of being destroyed. Slowly they opened their eyes. "Uh why aren't we dead?" Fred scratched his head. He looked over and saw the answer. "Oh…my…." 

Todd was there before them. Standing…no floating in midair. He was covered with a glowing light all around him. There was a halo of light covering all of them. The dome kept the fire and falling debris at bay. 

"Please tell me I am having another hallucination," Lance blinked. 

"No you are not," Roadblock told him, his mouth wide open.

The fires died away. Todd floated back to the ground. Roadblock caught him in his arms. Todd passed out into unconsciousness. "Take it easy kid," Roadblock brushed Todd's hair away from his forehead. "It's gonna be okay." 

"Okay," Lance glared at Roadblock. "What the hell just happened here? Since when can Toad do that?" 

"It's a long story," Roadblock groaned. 

"Holy cow," Fred looked around. "What happened to the ceiling?" All around them were stars and the night sky. 

"It blew off micro brain!" Pietro cried out in pain. "Ow…" 

"His leg's pretty bad," Lance checked Pietro over. "What do we do?" 

"Yeah," Fred looked down. "How do we get down? Good thing we're not too far up in the atmosphere." 

Todd started to make sounds of waking up. "Kid?" Roadblock asked. 

"Roadblock?" Todd said weakly. "What happened?" 

"What do you…?" Lance started to say. One glare from Roadblock told him to shut up. 

"Let me tell him," Roadblock said. He turned to Todd and said gently, "The bomb was a dud. It didn't work." 

"It didn't?" Todd blinked.

"No," Roadblock told him. "It didn't." 

"Roadblock," Todd whispered. "I didn't cry. Not once. I was real brave."

"I know son," Roadblock kissed his forehead. "I'm proud of you."

"Can I have pancakes when we go home?" Todd asked innocently. 

"Sure kid," Roadblock gently mussed his hair. "I promise. Nice and fluffy."

"You'll make enough for my friends right?" Todd asked. 

"Of course," Roadblock nodded. "Now get some rest." 

"Okay," Todd started to fall back into unconsciousness. "Sooner I go to bed the sooner I can have pancakes." 

The others stared at them. "He doesn't know does he?" Lance asked.

"No," Roadblock looked at them. "And none of you are gonna tell him about this! Understand?"

"Why?" Pietro asked. "So he doesn't learn about what experiments you did to him?" 

"What did you do to Toad?" Fred snapped.

"We didn't do anything!" Roadblock told him. "Let's just say the kid got himself into something he shouldn't have."

"Well that I can believe," Lance groaned. 

"I'll explain later if we survive," Roadblock groaned. "Right now we all got to get all of you out of here alive!" 

"YEEEEHAAA!" A familiar voice shouted out. They looked up and saw a Stormwhirl lowering down. 

"Wild Bill!" Roadblock cried out. "I'd know that cowboy cry anywhere!" 

"Yo Joe!" Wild Bill called out as he managed to land the Stormwhirl on the crater. "Wow. You boys had quite a party here!" 

"Call the medics," Roadblock sighed. "We got a few serious injuries here." 

"Gotcha!" He called out. "Right now the others got their hands full!" He pointed to the distance. They could see dozens of jets attacking what was left of Asteroid M. 

"Its up to them now," Roadblock said. "There's nothing else we can do! It's up to the others to make sure Magneto's through!" 


	97. The Battle Ends

**The Battle Ends**

"I told you we were safe," Magneto chuckled at the remains of the center chamber. "The Joes have retreated!"

"No they just got out of the way!" Sabertooth looked at the console. "Enemy aircraft attacking!" Explosions rocked the base. 

"Not for long!" Magneto stretched out his arms. Still the assault continued. 

"They're still firing!" Shiva cried. 

"Those missiles!" Magneto shouted. "They're not made of metal! I can't stop them with my powers!" 

"Where the hell are the lasers or backup missiles?" Sabertooth shouted. 

"Those blasted Joes destroyed them!" Magneto pounded on the control panel. 

"Please tell me those remaining sentinels can fly," Sabertooth gulped.

"No they can't!" Magneto snarled. "We have to defend the base!"

"Hey pal," Sabertooth ran off. "I like you, but not that much!" 

"Yeah boss," John called out. "Come on! We gotta get out of here!"

"Those blasted Joes will pay for this," Magneto growled as he headed for the escape pods. "Along with the X-Men! They will pay!" 

************************************************************************

The Joe's aircraft pounded Asteroid M mercilessly. "YO JOE!" Hawk screamed. "Hit them with everything you got!" 

The asteroid started to explode. Several orbs shot out. "Try to track those orbs!" Hawk ordered.

"I can't!" Dial Tone told him. "They're too fast!" 

"She's gonna blow!" Sgt. Slaughter shouted. "Let's get out of here!" 

The Joes flew off just in time. The explosion rocked the night sky. "Scratch one base!" Hawk cried out. "YO JOE!" 

**So what happens to Magneto? Up next, Magneto learns that he should have listened to Emma the hard way. Keep in mind that I need him for the sequel. **


	98. Aftermath

**Aftermath**

It didn't take long for the Joes to secure the area around what was left of the base. "We're going to have the boys at the lab go over what's left of Asteroid M," Hawk told Xavier. The X-Men had landed and were standing and watching what was going on. "We may learn something about where Magneto went." 

"I doubt you will find anything," Xavier said. "Good luck." 

"You're not coming back are you?" Hawk asked.

"No," Xavier told him. "I think it's time we went back home." 

"What about the Brotherhood?" Logan asked. "Find any of them?" 

"Gone," Hawk told him. "They all took off." 

"Not all of them," Beach Head said, pointing to Mystique. She was unconscious. "Got her trying to escape. We're sending her to a nice high security penitentiary right away!" 

"Good," Rogue grumbled, not wanting to look at her as she was taken away. 

"General," Xavier looked at Hawk. "It's been, interesting." 

They looked at each other. Neither friends nor enemies. Merely allies. They nodded and went their separate ways. 

"So we're going home?" Evan asked as they walked away. 

"Finally," Bobby sighed.

"Yeah I've had enough of army life to last me a long time," Kitty said. "Like forever!" 

"What about our stuff at the base?" Amara asked.

"They'll mail it to us," Scott said.

"Who cares as long as we go home!" Rogue groaned. 

"Are you okay?" Jean asked.

"Okay?" Rogue looked at her. "I've got super strength and invulnerable skin now. I can even fly. I'm better than okay!" 

"What about…what happened?" Jean asked. "How you got your new powers?" 

"Magneto my…" She looked at her. "That maniac injected me with the stuff that gave me the powers. That's what happened. I'll deal with it." 

"Why do I have the feeling there's more to this than you're willing to tell me?" Jean frowned.

"Why don't you just mind your own business Jean?" She snapped and stormed off.

Jean made a motion to go after her, but Scott stopped her. "Don't," He told her. "You know how private Rogue is. She'll tell us when she's ready." 

"He's right," Xavier said. "For now, let's just go home and rest." 

They went into the Blackbird and the X-Copter and went home. The Joes watched them leave. "Okay they're gone," Hawk said. From the shadows Fred and Lance carried out Pietro and Wanda. 

"You think that was a good idea lying to Xavier like that?" Beach Head asked. 

"I didn't exactly lie," Hawk said, looking at the four figures huddled together. "Technically these four aren't part of the Brotherhood anymore." 


	99. The Judgement of the White Queen

**The Judgement of the White Queen**

Magneto fumed as he traveled through the skies. "They'll pay for this! They'll all pay! What?" Suddenly the orb stopped moving and landed. "I didn't make this thing to stop!" The hatch opened and he stepped out.

"Hello Magneto," Emma Frost stood before him in the snow. Next to her was a portly man with flaming red hair and a red beard. He looked around. He was surrounded by a group of men in strange black outfits, carrying some type of gun. 

"So you didn't think the Joes were any threat to you," The man sneered. "Well you can't say we didn't warn you!" 

"What is all this?" Magneto growled. 

"I'd like to introduce to you Mr. Harry Leland," Emma introduced her companion. "Also a member of the Inner Circle."

"We brought you here for a reason, Magneto," Leland told him. "You've become too dangerous to trust." 

"I think it's time that you finally learned that there is a price that must be paid when you disobey the Circle," Emma intoned. 

"Oh really?" Magneto stretched his arms to use his powers. Nothing happened.

"You really didn't think we'd actually be stupid enough to use metal weapons against you now did you?" Leland snarled. 

"I have no time for this!" Magneto rose in the air, but then fell to the ground as if he had turned to stone. "What's happening? So…heavy! Can't move!" 

"Oh I forgot to mention," Emma droned. "Mr. Leland here is also a mutant. He can control mass."

"Yes," Leland smiled. "I can make anything…or anyone as light or heavy as I wish." 

Magneto fell to his knees. He struggled to get up. "You can't…do this to me!" 

"It's time you paid for your transgressions Magneto," Emma snapped her fingers. "By order of the Inner Circle I have been authorized to administer your punishment! Now!" Immediately the soldiers sprayed Magneto with a strange green goop. He was soon covered with it from head to toe. Within moments he was encased in it. 

"Amazing isn't it," Emma smiled. "It's like those other stasis fields the Sentinels used. But with one minor difference. You don't fall unconscious in this one." 

"I know you can hear me in there," She told him. "Consider this a time out. You should think upon the error of your ways. Don't worry. We don't intend to keep you in there forever. A year or so. Maybe two or three ought to do it. Five or six at the most, depending if we need you or not. Yes, five years in suspended animation trapped beneath the ice, in a state of forever alertness ought to do it." 

"I hope you went to the bathroom before you got here," Leland snickered. "Otherwise it will be a bit uncomfortable for you. Then again that's rather the point isn't it?" He made the mass heavier until it sank into the snow. "That should cool him off for a while, eh Emma? That was easier than I thought." 

She smiled to herself. "This game is far from over. But at least that's once piece taken care of." 


	100. Happily Ever After (Sort Of)

**Happily Ever After (Sort of)**

It was two days after the battle with Magneto. The X-Men were celebrating by having a pool party at the mansion. Amanda, Paul and Taryn were there as well. Everyone was laughing and having a good time. Almost everyone. Rogue sat by herself on the balcony, watching the others. 

"A pretty lady like you shouldn't be sitting alone," Remy came up to her. 

"I guess I just don't feel like celebrating just yet," Rogue sighed. "I mean Magneto…my father is still out there as well as my other relatives. Who knows what happened to them."

"At least Mystique's in jail and can't hurt you no more," Remy said. 

"As much as I hate her, I'm not exactly thrilled with having my own mother in jail," Rogue groaned. "It's all so much. You know, not to mention these new powers. I'm still getting the hang of the super strength."

"Yeah I kinda figured when you punched a hole in the Danger Room wall," Remy grinned. "But you're still the Rogue I know and love. Magneto's kid or not." 

"Do me a favor?" Rogue asked. "Don't tell anyone else about this. Not even Kurt. I just don't want anyone to know yet."

"Okay, I understand," Remy nodded. "But you should at least tell Kurt. He is your brother."

"Half brother," She sighed. "I have two half brothers and a half sister. God what a mess I have for a family." 

"We're your family Rogue," Remy put his arm around her. "Don't you forget that. Nothing else matters." 

"Come on," Rogue smiled and grabbed him. "Let's join the party!" She picked him up and they flew over the pool. "Heads up!" 

"Rogue…" Remy gulped. "You not gonna do what I think you gonna do, are you?"

With a wicked laugh she dropped him into the pool. "She did," He groaned.

Logan and Xavier watched the children laughing and playing around. "It's good to see the kid finally lightening up," Logan said. "Did she tell you anything else about what happened to her up there on Asteroid M?"

"No," Xavier said. "But I'm not going to pry. She'll tell us when she's ready. Right now she needs to feel safe again." 

"Well with her powers she can't get any much safer," Logan smiled. "Which is a good thing. Have you been watching the news? While we were gone there have been a group of folks that are organizing against mutants. Call themselves the Friends of Humanity." 

"I'm afraid that wasn't entirely unexpected," Xavier sighed. "I've already gotten a call from the Superintendent. They're considering banning the students from the school when it's rebuilt."

"Oh great," Logan groaned. "Having the kids here full time. Yeah that will be fun." 

"The coming days will be hard," Xavier said. "But I'm confident that the X-Men can make it." He turned to watch the X-Men playing with their human friends. "There's still hope we can co exist with humans." 

"You know something," Logan smiled. "I think you're right Chuck." 

************************************************************************

Two days earlier:

Hawk looked over the wreckage. "Well nothing left but the cleanup and the paperwork. All's well that ends well." 

"There's only one question," Beach Head asked. "What do we do with them?" He pointed to the four mutants. Pietro and Wanda were unconscious and on stretchers. Lance and Fred were covered with blankets, shivering against the cold. Hawk looked at them and frowned as he deliberated what to do next.

************************************************************************

Several months later: 

"I AM GOING TO KILL HIM!" Beach Head screamed at the top of his lungs.

"He did it again," Spirit told Lifeline. They were outside in the quad, relaxing with Roadblock and Shipwreck. A whirlwind streaked by.

"GIVE ME BACK MY TEDDY BEAR!" Beach Head ran after Pietro. 

"Give it up, Beach Head," Shipwreck told him. He was playing with Claudius. "You'll never catch him!" 

"I can try!" Beach Head snarled. "Come down here and fight like a man you speed demon!" 

"Keepaway!" Pietro tossed the bear to Todd. "Keepaway!" 

Todd laughed and jumped over Beach Head. Beach Head chased him. Then Althea who got the bear. Then Wanda, then Brittany, then Quinn, then Daria, then Lance and then Pietro again. Finally Fred got the bear and was holding it over Beach Head's head, taunting him. "ROADBLOCK MAKE THEM GIVE ME BACK MY BEAR!" Beach Head shouted. 

"Okay kids that's enough," Roadblock sighed. "Give him his teddy back!" 

"Aw okay Roadblock," Fred handed Beach Head his bear. 

"Roadblock I thought you were put in charge of these maniacs so that they wouldn't run wild!" 

"Aw come on Beach Head," Todd hung from a tree. "We're just playing!" 

"Playing? I'll show you playing…" Beach Head stormed away. 

"Well that was fun," Pietro dropped down. He was wearing jeans and a black T-shirt with a white lightning streak on it. "What do we do now?" 

"Tackle attack!" The triplets ganged up on Lance. 

"Hey!" Lance shouted. "Get off of me!" Immediately the kids started chasing each other around all over. "Let's get Pietro!" 

"You can't catch me!" Pietro laughed. Something grabbed him from behind. "Whoa!"

Xi reappeared and sat on top of Pietro, grinning. "You were saying?" 

"Have you noticed ever since the kids got here Cobra hardly attacks the base?" Shipwreck commented.

"Gee I wonder why?" Roadblock groaned. 

General Hawk came over. "Is this a training session or did they destroy the obstacle course again?" 

"We thought they needed a little playtime," Lifeline smirked. "They found some extra candy bars lying around."

"Say no more," Hawk groaned. 

Beach Head came back. "General we finally got those forms. It's official. We're now stuck with these lunatics!"

"What do you mean?" Lance asked. The mutants stopped playing and came over. 

"Let's just say I had to have a few words with some people about you kids living here," Hawk said. "You don't have to worry about anyone taking you away anymore. The Joes are now authorized to train their own elite team of mutants."

"Elite team of troublemakers more like it," Beach Head groaned.

"Cool!" Todd hopped up and down. "Do we get to go on missions?"

"Not for a while," Hawk told him. "Maybe in the future. You kids are now part of Freedom Force. The Joe's very own team of mutants."

"Freedom Force?" Althea looked at him. "I have a request. Can we pick our own name?" 

"You have to admit they have a point," Shipwreck said. 

"It is kind of corny isn't it?" Hawk said. 

"Yeah it doesn't really fit this group of misfits," Beach Head growled. 

"That's our name!" Quinn piped up. "The Misfits!" 

"It works for me," Todd shrugged. 

"That's who we are all right," Lance laughed. 

"TAG!" Pietro whacked Lance on the back. "You're it!" He ran away laughing. 

"COME BACK HERE PIETRO!" Lance shouted. The insane tag game started all over again.

"Oh wonderful," Beach Head groaned. "First it was the Toad, now we have a whole herd of them! I can't believe my luck! Speaking of luck, did you guys ever figure out how Toad saved your butts?"

"Destiny stone," Lifeline told him. "That's also probably why Magneto's chamber exploded. Those Cytorak Gems have mystical qualities as well. And you can't mix different magics so…" 

"Kaboom," Roadblock shrugged. "Well this is gonna be fun. Raising even more mutants on the base."

"God help us all," Hawk groaned. 

**That's it! This fic is finished! Well at least some good came out of FF Net being down for a month! Phew! I need a vacation! But first, some questions….**

How did the former members of the Brotherhood reconcile themselves to the Joes? How did they adjust to life on the base? 

How did they meet Xi? 

Will they meet up with the X-Men again?

Will they get new members, and if yes, who? 

**Will Lance and Kitty ever get back together, or has their relationship been destroyed forever?**

What will happen to the DNA Cobra stole from the X-Men?

Will we see the return of Magneto? Mystique? Emma Frost? 

And what was the deal with those Gems of Cytorak? We know the Inner Circle has them. But for what purpose?

**Coming whenever I feel like it, the answers to all these questions and more in…(Drum roll please!) **

The Misfit Chronicles! 

Yes this is my version of the Misfits! So there! Right now…I'm gonna take a nice long rest! VACATION HERE I COME! 

(The author runs off happily, screaming 'I'm finished! I'm free!' The Misfits come out with suitcases.)

Todd: Can you say, road trip? I knew you could!

Althea: Yeah if she thinks she can get away from us, she's got another think coming! Come on!

(They all chase after her.) 


End file.
